Earlier this month, the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, T.D., published the Education (Amendment) Bill, 2012. The Minister has indicated that the passing of this legislation would allow for the commencement of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001. Section 30 requires that all teachers in State recognised schools whose salaries are funded by the Department of Education and Skills must be registered with the Teaching Council. This is a significant and welcome development for the teaching profession in that it will pave the way for the commencement of the remaining sections of the Teaching Council Act, 2001. Registered teachers are required to meet the Council's registration and ongoing professional education requirements, are subject to the Code of Professional Conduct and, as appropriate, the Council's Fitness to Teach process.
The Bill also provides for the amendment of Section 33 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 which relates to the annual renewal by teachers of their registration. The proposed amendment would allow the Council to require teachers to submit certain evidence when renewing, which may include, for example, Garda vetting information or evidence of continuing professional development. The Bill also includes an amendment to Section 38 of the Act which relates to the Council's role in reviewing and accrediting programmes of initial teacher education. The proposed amendment clarifies the Council's power to refuse or withdraw professional accreditation, where appropriate.
The amendments in the Bill are welcomed by the Teaching Council, in particular those provisions relating to mandatory registration, as they will allow the Council to exercise its statutory role in full. The Council is concerned, however, that the Bill as currently drafted includes a proposed amendment to the text of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001, and qualifies that Section by reference to Section 24(7) of the Education Act, as amended. The proposed text of Section 24(7) is intended to allow for the temporary employment, in certain exceptional and limited circumstances, of persons who are not registered teachers, if no registered teacher is available. The Council has previously made known its opposition to such an exemption being permitted and remains of the view that there is neither a need, nor is it desirable, to amend Section 30 in any way and it has communicated this view to the Minister.
In the interim, the Council urges all practising teachers who are not registered with the Council to apply for registration without delay.