324. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to an issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66552/26]

325. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to an issue (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66536/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.

The Teaching Council is the independent regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland established by the Teaching Council Act 2001 (as amended). Its role is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching. This is carried out through the statutory registration of teachers in the State, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.

The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001 (as amended) and in line with the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2025. 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

• Route 5: Student Teacher

The qualification requirements for each route are set out in the Schedule of the Regulations.

As a statutory body, the Teaching Council is mandated by law to properly determine and 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 relation to individual teacher registration.

Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (www.teachingcouncil.ie/assets/uploads/2023/08/ceim-standards-for-initial-teacher-education.pdf) sets out the requirements which all programmes of qualification for teaching in Ireland must meet in order to gain accreditation from the Teaching Council. It is also a benchmark for anybody seeking to register as a teacher in Ireland.

The Teaching Council currently has two dedicated application pathways for teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland:

1. Recognition Applications assessed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC

Fully qualified teachers who have qualified as teachers outside of the Republic of Ireland and who are eligible to teach in the country in which they obtained their qualification, can apply for recognition as a teacher with the Teaching Council. A person is deemed a fully qualified teacher if they have completed a recognised teacher education qualification and completed any required programme of induction in the country in which they have been awarded their qualification. A person must provide an official letter confirming they are a fully qualified teacher from the relevant teacher registration body or Competent Authority in that country. Not all jurisdictions require induction to be undertaken in order to be considered a fully qualified or registered teacher, so there may be instances where a teacher qualified in such a jurisdiction achieves registration, while a teacher with the same or similar qualifications from a jurisdiction which does mandate a period of induction, may not. This is provided for in EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

All applications from fully qualified teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, (eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2005/36/oj/eng) regardless of whether the applicant qualified within or outside of the EU. Once an application is received, the Council will assess the applicant's qualification to ensure that it is of a comparable standard to accredited programmes in the Republic of Ireland. All applications are assessed individually and in a holistic manner taking into account the individual’s qualifications, professional learning and teaching experience.

In the case of those seeking registration as a post-primary teacher, applicants may have completed diplomas or certificates in areas that are relevant to the subject being assessed in addition to their initial teacher education qualification. These additional qualifications can contribute to the overall assessment outcome. As such, applicants who have completed the same teacher education qualification may not necessarily receive the same outcome, as the holistic assessment process considers all relevant qualifications and professional experience. This is carried out in the interests of supporting applicants to ensure that all demonstrable knowledge, skill and competence is considered.

Where qualification shortfalls are identified, the individual teacher may register with the condition of addressing the qualification shortfalls within a three-year period. The teacher will be given the option of addressing the shortfalls via an aptitude test or adaptation period. Further details on this process can be found on the Teaching Council website (www.teachingcouncil.ie/i-am-applying-to-register/qualified-outside-of-ireland/)

Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s) are responsible for advising applicants regarding their programmes, including those to address shortfalls.

2. Recognition Application received under the Timebound Provision

In the Council’s recently revised registration regulations, there is a timebound provision which allows teachers who qualified in another country, but have not completed the necessary induction there, to apply to register with the Teaching Council (in certain limited circumstances) and to complete induction here in the Republic of Ireland. This provision opened for applications in October 2025 and will remain open until 30 December 2027. To be eligible for registration under this provision, teachers must have completed a teacher education qualification outside of the country that is of an equivalent standard to an Irish teacher education qualification. This means that no qualification shortfalls should be identified between the teacher education qualification obtained overseas and that of the Irish standard, except for the Irish Language Requirement for primary teachers and History and Structure of the Irish Education System for post-primary teachers.

The Council holds its accredited programmes and teachers to high standards. To protect the integrity of the register, all those seeking registration are held to the same standards.

These standards have been established following extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders, research, and in accordance with Department of Education and Youth policies and priorities and developed over a number of years.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012) and in accordance with relevant Department Circulars (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/teacher-recruitment-registration-and-qualifications/)

Subsection 3.1 of Circular 31/2011 states:

each employer shall ensure that each person proposed for appointment to a teaching post for which salary grant is being sought must –

(a) Be registered with the Teaching Council in accordance with Part 3 of the Teaching Council Act 2001

and

(b) Have qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which s/he is to be employed (referred to in this circular as “appropriately qualified”).

The individual referred to in this query has been registered with the Council since 2023 under Route 3: Further Education, with the condition of completing an appropriate Teacher Education Qualification (TEQ) in Further Education. The Teaching Council has advised that the teacher in question has applied for an extension of time to address the outstanding condition, which is under consideration. The Teaching Council will contact the applicant directly with the outcome of this application in due course.

My role and the role of my department as laid out in the Teaching Council Act 2001 (as amended) is clear, and in that context, registration decisions are to be made by the Teaching Council as the independent statutory regulator in relation to an individual applicant.