1.7.2 Initial teacher education

1.7.2 Initial teacher education

Progress was achieved on restructuring initial teacher education

Initial teacher education (ITE) for primary and post-primary teachers generally follows one of two main models: the concurrent model, where practical and pedagogical training are studied alongside disciplinary studies, or the consecutive model, where practical and pedagogical training follow the disciplinary studies. In addition, a number of ‘hybrid models’ are available for post-primary teachers. Concurrent programmes are four-year, full-time courses, leading to a Bachelor of Education degree. Consecutive programmes are of two years duration and lead to the award of a Professional Master of Education (PME).

In 2012, the Report of the International Review Panel on the Structure of Initial Teacher Education Provision in Ireland had proposed a vision for the restructuring of ITE provision so that, by 2030, Ireland would have a network of teacher education institutions based on a small number of internationally comparable institutes of teacher education. It was envisaged that each of these institutes would offer research-based teacher education in internationally inspiring environments. The report recommended that the then nineteen separate ITE institutions be reconfigured to provide six new institutes or centres for teacher education.

An evaluation of progress was conducted in May 2018 by Professor Sahlberg. The resulting report42 outlined the significant progress made in the implementation of the structural reforms identified in the 2012 report. Of particular relevance to the period covered by this report was the progress made in consolidating the nineteen discrete ITE providers into centres of excellence as part of an incorporation process. This development has the potential to enhance the quality of research-based teacher education.

41 Department of Education and Skills (2012) Report of the International Review Panel on the Structure of Initial Teacher Education Provision in Ireland. Available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/0ef415-report-of-the-international-review-panel-on-thestructure-of-initial/ 42 Higher Education Authority (2019) Structure of Teacher Education in Ireland Review of Progress in Implementing Reform. Available at: https://hea.ie/resources/publications/the-structure-of-teacher-education-in-ireland-review-of-progress-in-implementingreform/

All ITE programmes that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The first cycle of review and accreditation began in 2011 and continued during the period to which this report refers. Between September 2016 and December 2020, the Teaching Council accredited eight ITE programmes. On 11 November 2020, the Teaching Council launched revised standards for programmes of ITE for primary teachers and post-primary teachers respectively in Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education and revised Teaching Council Curricular Subject Registration Requirements (Post-Primary)43.

To help ensure an adequate supply of Irish-medium teachers, two new Irish-medium teacher education programmes were launched

In March 2018, the then Minister for Education and Skills announced the establishment of two new Irish-medium teacher education programmes. The new programmes were intended to deliver up to sixty new places for teacher education through Irish annually. This announcement fulfilled a key commitment in the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The creation of these programmes represented a key measure in ensuring that Irish-medium schools in both Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas had an adequate supply of Irish-medium teachers.

Two important steps were taken in fulfilling this commitment. In September 2018, Mary Immaculate College commenced a part-time blended learning Masters programme (M.Ed.) in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht education for primary and post-primary teachers and principals, with up to thirty places funded annually on the programme. The following year saw the commencement of a four-year Bachelor of Education initial teacher education programme through the medium of Irish, in Marino Institute of Education, with up to thirty places funded on the programme annually. This constitutes the first ever initial teacher education programme at primary level in the whole of Ireland that is entirely through the medium of Irish.

Steps were taken to increase diversity in the teaching profession

Throughout the period to which this Chief Inspector’s Report refers, there has been a growing awareness of the need to increase diversity in the teaching profession. In April 2017, the then Minister for Education and Skills announced the allocation of €2.4 million for new initiatives to widen access to ITE. These initiatives were intended to result in more than 120 new teachers entering the teaching profession from disadvantaged groups that, traditionally, have been under-represented in teaching. As a result, a foundation course for ITE, which prepares students from under-represented groups for entry to teaching degrees, was established in NUI Maynooth University. In November 2018, the Bridging Programme for Immigrant Internationally Educated Teachers in the Marino Institute for Education was launched. The Bridging Programme forms one component of the Migrant Teacher Project, which is run by the Marino Institute for Education and funded by the Department of Justice and Equality through the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI). The Migrant Teacher Project aims to address the issue of the underrepresentation of migrants in the teaching profession in Ireland. More specifically, the Bridging Programme has been developed for migrant teachers who have been educated and trained outside of Ireland.

43 All new primary and post-primary programmes submitted to the Council for accreditation must now be in alignment with Céim. Existing programmes of ITE will be realigned in accordance with Céim for commencement in September 2022 for first year student teachers.