25 January 12, Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 debated in Seanad

INTO representatives were present in Seanad Éireann today for the commencement of the debate on the Education (Amendment) Bill.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD, published the Education (Amendment) Bill on 10 January and it provides for a number of important changes to the Education Act 1998 and the Teaching Council Act 2001.

The amendment paves the way for commencement of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 which will ensure that only those registered with the Teaching Council have a right to access paid employment as teachers in schools.

The Bill also provides, however, for the amendment of the Education Act 1998 and the amendment of the Teaching Council Act 2001 in relation to a number of education matters. These include arrangements for the employment, in certain exceptional and limited circumstances, of persons who are not registered teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001.

The Bill also provides for changes to Sections 23 and 24 of the Education Act. These changes are designed to provide legal certainty on the capacity of the Minister for Education and Skills and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to ensure that teachers who are surplus are redeployed to vacancies in other schools, while at the same time ensuring that the Department can continue to fully honour the commitment in the Croke Park Agreement which provides for flexible redeployment arrangements instead of redundancy.

The INTO is submitting a number of amendments to Senators and Deputies in the Oireachtas on the Bill.While aspects of this proposed legislation are necessary and welcome, the INTO has significant reservations about, and objections to, certain proposals. These include the issue of consultation and agreement on procedures, the qualifications of people employed in schools, and regulations on registering teachers.

The Education (Amendment) Bill 2011 is available to download on the Oireachtas website at www.oireachtas.ie
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