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Bruton commences Fitness to Teach

20160725Fitnessto teach

Education Minister Richard Bruton today commenced the Fitness to Teach provisions of the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015. 

This means that for the first time, any person, including a member of the public, an employer or a teacher will be able to make a complaint to the Teaching Council about a registered teacher. Complaints will be possible under a number of headings, including professional misconduct or poor professional performance. 

The Minister said: 

We are fortunate in Ireland to have such a professional and dedicated teaching profession in Ireland. The introduction of Fitness to Teach will be good for the teaching profession. 

Fitness to Teach will allow parents and others who have a concern about a registered teacher to bring that concern to the Teaching Council for adjudication for the first time. This will give parents confidence that the high quality and standards of the teaching profession will be maintained. Each inquiry which is convened by the Teaching Council must be fair, transparent and effective.

The fitness to teach processes are not intended to replace the procedures that are already in place in schools to deal with issues of professional conduct and competence. Underperformance or misconduct will continue to be dealt with first at school level and while generally school procedures should be exhausted before any inquiry by the Teaching Council takes place the Council can proceed where there are good and sufficient reasons.

For more information read the press release here.