Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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436. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Professional Masters in Education (Primary) is fully subscribed across current higher education providers; and if it is intended that the Professional Masters in Education will be extended to include more higher education institutions. [51306/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2023, as a teacher supply measure and following engagement with the relevant higher education institutions (HEIs) providing Initial Teacher Education (ITE), my predecessor Minister Norma Foley TD, increased the approved primary PME intake from 200 to 400 places for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years.

In 2025, I maintained the increased numbers and the approved PME intake for the 2025/26 academic year was also set at 400 places.

Regarding enrolment figures, for the 2024/25 academic year, 249 of the 400 places allocated were filled across the four HEIs providing Primary PME programmes.

The Department published an ITE Policy Statement in 2023, presenting a vision for policy and provision across the sector which can ensure that student teachers at primary and post-primary level have the skills to support all of our children and young people as learners in the years ahead. One of the guiding principles of the policy statement is the continuation of the vision that ITE provision will be led by a small number (seven) of university-led centres of teacher education excellence, and that each of these will have a critical mass to provide for good teaching, research and international co-operation and structures to ensure meaningful collaboration across education.

As autonomous bodies, it would fall to HEIs to consider the scope of their expansion of any future ITE provision in line with their mission/strategy. This Department would favour new programmes being introduced in areas where there is an identified national need. In this regard it would be expected that there would be liaison with this Department when considering new ITE programme proposals and that there would be due regard given to available data on teacher supply needs.