Under-qualified maths teachers get training boost [IrishTimes]
- Published: 12 September 2011
A PROGRAMME to address the crisis in maths at second-level schools is to be announced later today by the Department of Education. The move comes amid controversy about the large number of maths teachers taking Leaving Cert classes who are not fully qualified.
Figures released last night show that while about 30 per cent of teachers studied maths for at least one year in college, it was not the main focus of their degree. About 70 per cent were fully qualified, while 49 out of more than 2,000 surveyed had no qualifications whatever in the subject.
The figures were provided by the Teaching Council to the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, who has faced controversy over the large number of unqualified maths teachers in the classroom.
The Teaching Council is the statutory professional body for teaching in Ireland, established to promote the professional development of teachers and to regulate standards in the profession.
Full Story: www.irishtimes.com
