Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

524. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is aware that students who undertook the graduate diploma in physical education at Portobello Institute were under the clear understanding that it would qualify them to teach physical education as an additional subject, only to be told by the Teaching Council that it does not; if he has been contacted in relation to this; his plans to address this anomaly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14103/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016.

The Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. Their role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching. They do this through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.

As a statutory professional standards body, the Teaching Council is required by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration. One of the ways the Council ensures and regulates standards is by ensuring that all teachers entering the profession in the Republic of Ireland have met the required standards.

Each application is assessed on an individual basis in accordance with the Teaching Council's registration regulations and subject curricular requirements. Applicants are advised of the shortfalls identified in their qualifications and are advised on how to address them i.e. via aptitude test or period of adaptation.

The students referred to in your query should engage with the course provider in relation to any issues that they may have regarding their qualification.

The Teaching Council is independent in their registration function and neither I nor the department have any role is this regard.