New powers designed to help the Teaching Council deal with underperforming teachers will be published shortly.
The Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn, is set to strengthen the regulatory body's powers, introducing a range of new sanctions to deal with below par teachers.
Up until now, a teacher had to be deemed 'unfit to teach' before the Teaching Council could impose any sanctions.
The Teaching Council will be able to impose sanctions that are consistent with the seriousness of findings against a teacher and will range from advice, admonishment or censure to suspension or removal from the Teaching Council s register.
To date, the range of sanctions that the Teaching Council might impose following a fitness to teach inquiry are the removal from the register for a specified period, suspension from the register up to 2 years or retained on the register subject to conditions.
But, it's proposed to add a further sanction of advice, admonishment, or a censure in writing to the range of sanctions available to the Council.
Under the new legislation, which is expected to be published shortly, teachers will also be able to appeal any refusal of renewal of registration by the Teaching Council to the High Court.
Also, from the 28th of January, all teachers must be registered with the Teaching Council in order to be paid by out of public funds and if a teacher is suspended or removed from the register, they cannot be paid by the Department or the Education and Training Boards
The Minister for Education & Skills Ruairí Quinn says the new sanctions available to the Teaching Council are more in line with those available to other professional regulators and is a positive step in the full professionalisation of teaching.
