‘Examine restriction of teacher applicants’
Márta 11, 2013
The Department of Education’s chief inspector has suggested looking at restricting the numbers going into teaching as a possible way of keeping up standards in the profession.
Questions have been raised about regulating intake to teacher-training degrees, as the 3,000-plus annual graduates have had more difficulty in recent years finding work because of education cutbacks. The rise in teaching graduates without work because of these cuts, along with reduced pay for the profession, may be behind a fall of almost 20% in numbers listing teacher-training courses as their first choice on college application forms. The department’s chief inspector, Harold Hislop, said that, although high-calibre candidates are still applying to teaching courses, international research suggests that restricting access to the profession and the overall entrant numbers have advantages for the long-term good of teaching and schools.
“Whether by failing to control entry properly we may damage quality is a question about which we have not had an informed and thorough debate in Ireland, and is one that we may need to consider,” he told a recent symposium on teacher education at University College Cork. There may be a temporary drop in newly qualified teachers in years to come as teacher education reforms see degrees extended by a year, meaning a gap in output from some courses. A range of mergers is planned among teacher-training colleges, and Mr Hislop said having a smaller number of larger teacher education institutions will help enhance teachers’ skills and the profession’s status.
www.irishexaminer.com
