Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

325. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an application for registration through the Teaching Council will be reviewed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50734/26]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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.

The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2025 (www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2025/10/SI.2025.0482_TC_Registration_Regulations.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. The qualification requirements for each route are set down in the Schedule of the Regulations.

As a statutory body, the Teaching Council is mandated by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration, including those who have qualified outside of Ireland. My department has no role in this process.

All applications from fully qualified teachers who gained their teaching qualifications outside of Ireland are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC.

In this instance the person referred to by the Deputy pursued the timebound provision in the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2025 through which teachers who qualified in another country, but have not completed the necessary professional induction there, to register with the Teaching Council (in certain limited circumstances) and to complete induction here in the Republic of Ireland. To be eligible to apply for registration under the Timebound Provision under Route 1 (Primary) or Route 2 (Post-primary), an applicant must meet two eligibility requirements:

1. Evidence of Registration.

They must have a qualification which entitles them to teach in the country of award, save for the fact that they have not completed induction there.

2. Teacher Education Qualification.

Primary (4-12) – They must have a primary initial teacher education qualification awarded by a provider from outside of the ROI, which is assessed by the Teaching Council as equivalent to Irish standards, with the exception of the Irish Language Requirement (ILR). The ILR will be applied as a condition of on their registration.

OR

Post-primary (12-18)- they must have a post-primary initial teacher education qualification awarded by a provider outside of the ROI, which is assessed by the Teaching Council as equivalent to Irish standards, except for the History and Structure of the Irish Education System requirement (H&S) and meet the curricular subject requirements for at least one post-primary subject. The H&S will be applied as a condition of their registration.

They must have studied one of the curricular subjects. Please see the list of approved Curricular Subjects Requirements (www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2024/08/curricular-subject-requirements-post-primary-from-1-jan-2023.pdf). It is expected that they will meet the curricular subject requirements for at least one post-primary subject. If there are minor shortfalls in the curricular subject requirements, there may be conditions attached to their registration to address this.

If an applicant does not meet the above two eligibility requirements above, their application will be deemed ineligible and outside of the scope of the Timebound Provision. Please note that if an applicant is deemed not eligible for registration under the Timebound Provision, they should complete induction or the required post qualification training in the country in which they obtained their teacher education qualification and reapply through the standard process to register with the Teaching Council.

In this instance the person referred to by the Deputy does not meet the eligibility criteria applying to the Timebound provision path to registration, and the applicant was notified of this decision by the Teaching Council.

The Recognition Department at the Teaching Council can provide more specific detail directly to the Deputy if requested.