merrion street

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., will sign the commencement order for Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 on November 1st.

The enactment of this legislation will ensure that only teachers in recognised schools who are registered with the Teaching Council can be paid from public funds except in very exceptional circumstances. This is a major reform that will ensure that only registered teachers are employed to teach students in our schools.

The commencement order will set a legislative deadline of January 28th 2014 for teachers to register with the Teaching Council. Teachers who have yet to register or who have to fully complete this process should do so immediately.

Minister Quinn is disappointed that some teachers have still failed to register with the Teaching Council.

“I will sign the commencement order on November 1st as I previously committed to doing,” he said. “But given the number of teachers who have still failed to register, I have now reluctantly agreed to extend the deadline for teacher registration following a request from the Teaching Council.”

"The extension of the deadline for teacher registration to 28th January will ensure that the pay of practising teachers in not stopped in advance of Christmas. The commencement order that I will sign next week cannot be revoked, so I would urge those who still need to register to do so immediately to avoid serious pay consequences in the future. It is in all of our interests for all of our children to be taught only by registered teachers who engage in continuous learning and development - from 28th January 2014, that will be the case," Minister Quinn said.

Any teachers who are not currently registered with the Teaching Council should apply for registration immediately. The Teaching Council is prioritising applications from teachers who are currently working in recognised schools and can submit proof of employment with their application.

Welcoming the Minister’s announcement, the Chairperson of the Teaching Council, Micheál Ó Gríofa said: “November 1st will be a historic day for the teaching profession in Ireland. We welcome the fact that the order commencing Section 30 will be signed on that day, paving the way for a fully-registered teaching profession. It is a very promising step in affirming the status of teaching and enabling the profession to lead teaching and learning into the future."

ENDS

Circular 0052/2013, Procedures on the Commencement of Section 30 in Recognised Schools, is available on the Department’s website at: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0052_2013.pdf