Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2026
588. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has any plans to review the requirement for newly qualified teachers to have completed the Droichead programme within three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15076/26]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the regulator of the teaching profession in Ireland. The role of the Council is to protect the public by promoting and regulating professional standards in teaching through the statutory registration of teachers, ensuring a highly qualified teaching profession, whose members meet and uphold high standards of professional competence and conduct.
In line with the Teaching Council Act 2001, as amended, and the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2025, all newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who meet the requirements for registration are registered with a condition that they must complete Droichead, the Council’s professional induction process for NQTs, and they are given a period of three years to address the condition.
If applicants have not addressed this registration condition within the three-year period, they may apply for an extension of time to meet the condition. Extensions are granted at the discretion of the Council. Further detail on extension requests is available: www.teachingcouncil.ie/i-am-a-registered-teacher/registration-with-conditions/application-for-an-extension-to-a-period-of-conditional-registration/
If the condition is not met within the timeframe and if an extension request is not granted, a teacher’s registration will lapse. There are no plans to review this requirement of registration.
However, please be advised that a review of the Droichead policy was recently carried out by the Teaching Council and this involved feedback and engagement from a number of stakeholders. Details of the policy review can be found on the Teaching Council website, Droichead Policy Review.
