College defends teaching course before Dail panel

The private third-level institution Hibernia College has defended its controversial on-line primary teacher-training course to a Dáil committee.

The postgraduate course allows students to attain a primary teacher's qualification by distance learning at a fee of €5,500.

The Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science raised concerns about the suitability of on- line training for teachers and about the credibility of the institute.

The Irish National Teachers Organisation and two teacher-training colleges, St Patrick's, Dublin, and Mary Immaculate, Limerick, had previously expressed concern, saying they had not been consulted before the course was approved by the Department of Education.

Fine Gael TD Mr David Stanton asked yesterday how the college assessed students' suitability for teaching when they were not in a classroom situation. "There are people who shouldn't be in charge of small children," he said.

The on-line content accounted for 45 per cent of the course, with the remainder being delivered on site at education centres, said Mr Thomas Mitchell, academic chairman of Hibernia.

All candidates went through an interview to assess suitability and attended 14 weeks of teaching practice, he added.

Mr Stanton said there had been a number of academics and other professionals whose names had been advertised, but who had denied any association with the course. The executive chairman of the college, Mr Séan Rowland, said three or four people had agreed to work with the college but subsequently backed out.

"There are a number of people that the institutes they were associated with asked them not to work with us or they weren't able to commit their time. We have no interest in lowering our standards by misleading people."