Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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1189. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of carrying out a review in her Department, for example, a review of the Professional Master of Education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43030/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Professional Master of Education (PME) is a two-year, full-time Level 9 postgraduate professional teacher education programme designed to qualify graduates as primary and post-primary teachers.

Changes to the duration and content of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s accreditation standards.What was previously the ‘H-Dip’ of 18 months for primary and one-year for post-primary has now become the two-year PME for both. These standards were developed following extensive research and consultation to ensure the programme would effectively develop the skills, knowledge, understanding, and professional values expected of newly qualified teachers. These changes to the duration of the PME were introduced in 2014.

The reforms aimed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools, which is central to the educational outcomes of children. The extended duration allows for substantial periods of school placement and includes mandatory elements such as literacy, numeracy, and ICT in teaching and learning.

While there are currently no plans to carry out a full review of the PME programmes, the Department’s ongoing approach is to monitor all ITE programmes on an ongoing basis and to continue to develop further innovative measures to improve the availability of teachers. The cost of undertaking any review would depend on the nature and extent of the review to be undertaken.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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1190. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average salary of one full-time home school community liaison coordinator; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43031/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme is one of the key supports provided by my department as part of the overall DEIS programme. Tusla Education Support Service manage the HSCL scheme on behalf of my department. The scheme seeks to promote partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services, with a view to supporting improved attendance, participation and retention.

All DEIS urban primary schools and all DEIS post-primary schools are included in the HSCL scheme, which currently serves 687 DEIS schools, catering for approximately 207,000 children and young people. The scheme is delivered by 528 full-time HSCL coordinators, who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or in clusters of schools.

A HSCL Coordinators are released from teaching duties, for a maximum of five years, in order to work intensively with and support parents/guardians. The overarching goal of the HSCL Coordinator is to improve educational outcomes for children through their work with the key adults in the child’s life.

Over €36 million is spent annually on the pay costs of Home School Community Liaison coordinators in urban primary and post-primary DEIS schools.

The average teacher’s salary costs for Primary and Post Primary teachers are outlined in the following table.

Figures are inclusive of Employer PRSI and substitution costs and are based on expenditure and teacher numbers to the end of 2024.