Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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633. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is aware of a case (details supplied) in which a teacher has been notified that they will not be able to teach from next year on due to their degree in childhood education from the UK not being recognised by the Teaching Council; if she will examine the matter and instruct her Department to evaluate how the recognition of qualifications from the UK is handled. [29919/25]

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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665. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the case of a person (details supplied) who is not permitted to continue teaching in special education due to his qualifications not being recognised by the teaching council; to outline what additional course he needs to complete to be able to continue teaching; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30355/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 633 and 665 together.

Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the state.

It is a function of the Council under the Teaching Council Acts (s7(2)) to act as the competent authority for recognition of qualifications obtained by a person who has applied under this Act for registration as a teacher.

The Teaching Council register teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/publications/registration/revised-teaching-council-registration-regulations-2016.pdf As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. My department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.

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.

Central to Initial Teacher Education policy in Ireland is that all teachers teaching children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be qualified Primary or Post-primary teachers in the first instance. The Teaching Council as the professional standards body for the teaching profession, sets the standards for programmes of initial teacher education (ITE) and reviews and accredits programmes provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the State, based on those standards. All programmes of ITE in Ireland that led to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The standards for programmes of ITE, which were revised in 2020, are published in https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf The standards set Inclusive Education as one of the seven core elements which must unpin all aspects of the programme of ITE. Once qualified as a Primary or Post-primary teachers, they may then apply for professional development in the area of SEN, if desired.

Cognisant that teacher education policies vary among countries, Route 4 provides for teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland specifically with an initial teacher education programme in teaching children with special educational needs.

The Teaching Council have informed me that the person that the Deputy is referring to in this query, was registered with the Teaching Council under Route 3- Further Education on 10 July 2023 with the condition of completion of an accredited teacher education programme.

This teacher has been granted a three-year period in order to address this qualification shortfall. Therefore, they have until 10 July 2026 to address the condition. Please find a list of accredited teacher education qualifications

The transparent and equal application of published regulations and procedures in the state are important legal principles.

I would advise this teacher to continue to liaise with the Teaching Council in relation to their registration and follow their guidance on the matter as the Teaching Council is independent in their registration function and neither I nor my Department have any role in this regard.