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'More migrant teachers needed' in Ireland
Posted by SchoolDays Newshound on 20/05/2009.
Tags: Teachers NewsMore migrant teachers are needed to handle the country's diverse population, it has been suggested.
Writing in the Irish Independent, Wale Mogaji of the Refugee Information Service, no comma said it is important that strategies are put in place and claimed that teachers from different backgrounds are needed to "reflect the intercultural nature of present day classrooms".
He added that the government could consider a scheme similar to the UK's Refugees into Teaching in Scotland programme.
"This approach could also be complemented by developing a system which would allow for the recruitment of migrant liaison officers and regional coordinators for schools who would advise on migrant-specific issues," Mr Mogaji furthered.
At present there are people from around 188 nationalities living in the country.
In related news, it was reported last week that over 400 Irish head teachers are set to retire this year.
Danielle
(26/05/2009 09:47)
This might be more possible if the Teaching Council were a bit more innovative and flexible when examining internationals' credentials when compared with the Irish HDip and qulaifications. I moved to Ireland 2 years ago with 14 years of teaching experience in American, 'Blue-Ribbon awarded' schools with undergraduate and Masters' qualifications from an ivy league university only to be told by the Teaching Council that I was unqualified. I now work for NUI, Galway in science education and outreach, and in retrospect found the process to apply for Irish teaching credentials extremely biased against international applicants.
JulieHogs
(26/05/2009 19:46)
Not likely under the present system. This is a misleading statement for teachers trained overseas, as their opportunities of obtaining teaching work in Ireland, especially in the current climate, are extremely limited. Irish trained teachers, who are fully recognised by Department of Education, are currently finding it difficult to find employment.