Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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275. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider applying the refund of fees for PME graduates retrospectively in order that students who graduated prior to 2024 are also eligible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33239/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning.

A number of measures to support primary and post-primary schools to recruit teachers have been introduced including a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional Master of Education (PME) in 2024.

The objective of the Professional Master of Education (PME) fee refund scheme is twofold, to encourage newly qualified teachers (NQT), who completed a PME in 2024 to take up teaching roles in return for a minimum level of service, and secondly to recognise some of the costs incurred in undertaking a PME.

Circular Number 0069/2024 (assets.gov.ie/static/documents/984e067b-00692024-.pdf) refers to the Professional Master of Education (PME) Fee Refund Scheme and sets out the scheme's criteria. Applicants who complete a PME programme in 2024, are registered with the Teaching Council under Route 1 or Route 2 and who provide a minimum period of service in the 2024/25 school year will receive a payment of €2,000, subject to statutory deductions. This is a novel initiative, and the impact of this measure on the ability of schools to fully use all their allocated posts must be considered before the scope or eligibility of the scheme is extended.

An online application portal for this scheme opened at the end of January this year. The deadline for receipt of applications under this scheme is 31 July 2025.

My Department frequently consults and engages closely with stakeholders on issues such as teacher supply through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions with teacher unions.

In addition to recently announced measures including to help teachers gain permanent roles more quickly, I will continue to consider further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.