The decision to approve plans by a private institution, Hibernia College, for an 18-month, on-line teacher-training course has provoked considerable controversy. College heads say there should be a public outcry, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor.
On the weekend of the August Bank Holiday this year, a sort of revolution took place in teacher training in the State. Radical plans by a private college for on-line training were approved by both the Department of Education and by HETAC, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council. The college was given the go-ahead to provide an 18-month diploma course for graduates who wish to become primary teachers. The course uses on-line content, live tutorials and face-to-face classes.
For the principal figure behind Hibernia, the State's seal of approval for his course represented some kind of manna from heaven. A former national teacher in Beaumont, Dublin, Seán Rowland is a well-known figure. Rowland, says one education source, is "the best networker in Dublin, he is a very easy guy to do business with".
Previously a director of Irish operations for Boston College, Rowland launched Hibernia two years ago. He has ambitious plans to develop on-line learning on matters of Irish interest for the Irish-American community. Courses will be offered on-line via Irish centres in all the major North American cities.
But, until the teacher training course came along, one could hardly say that Hibernia, which was only providing a very limited number of courses, was thriving. One report has suggested it lost up to €800,000.
Against this background, Hibernia's success in winning approval for an on-line teaching-training course represented a considerable coup. So how did it happen?
Two years ago, media reports which highlighted the huge number of "untrained" teachers in primary schools (up to 1,500, according to some estimates) unleashed considerable controversy. In broad terms, the problem surfaced because the Department of Education had seriously under-estimated the number of primary teachers required. As a result, pressure was building for more teachers.
Over time the spotlight began to focus on other alternatives. Most of the "untrained" teachers in the system were actually graduates, but few had the time and the funds to complete the full-time, 18-month programme for graduates in the teacher-training colleges. Why not provide new more "flexible" courses that would allow them to get a qualification in primary teaching?
Enter Seán Rowland and Hibernia College. During the past year, Rowland and his team developed an on-line course. In an interview with The Irish Times he said he consulted widely with school principals, teachers, the training colleges and others to ensure that the course met the practical needs of graduates and conformed with the highest academic standards.
In spring of this year, Rowland and his team brought his ambitious plan to both the Department of Education and HETAC. In a press statement, Hibernia says that its course has been through "independent rigorous assessment". It also says that it has been "subject to a full assessment by the Inspectorate of the Department of Education and Science".
The Department of Education, however, is playing down its role in the process. Hibernia, it said, did meet an assistant secretary (Peter Baldwin) on one occasion and it also had exploratory discussions with officials. A spokesman said: "They came to us with their ideas and we made observations on course content. That is not the same as an assessment". The Department says that HETAC is the State body established to award qualifications in the university sector. The Department simply recognises the course once it is recognised by HETAC.
For its part, HETAC says the course was subjected to the most rigorous assessment and met the highest standards. It is understood the assessment panel comprised Joe Cox, a programme validation consultant on secondment from IT Sligo, Anne Carthy, a training and e-learning expert from IBM, Marjorie Murphy, a retired teacher from Dublin and Gerard McHugh, a teacher and director of an education centre in west Dublin.
Despite the reassurance from HETAC and others, the controversy surrounding Hibernia shows little sign of abating. In the Dáil last week, both Dinny McGinley of Fianna Fáil and Simon Coveney of Fine Gael tabled a series of questions to the Minister about the course. McGinley told The Irish Times last week: "There are facilities there in the colleges of education that should be used, instead of handing over this important task of training primary teachers to the private sector".
In recent weeks, as enrolment for the new course has begun, it has attracted considerable negative publicity. The INTO has moved to deny suggestions that it recognised or accredited the course. Hibernia has been forced to retract an incorrect claim on its website that Dr Maurice Manning, the noted former UCD lecturer, was a member of its Faculty for Public Administration.
Hibernia has also borne the brunt of a very strong statement from the nine colleges of education that run teacher-training courses. The college heads say approval for Hibernia represents a dilution of academic standards and an attack on the professional status of teachers. They claim that the development threatens the quality of teacher education, the professional status of teachers and even the well-being of primary schoolchildren.
For a man in the eye of such a storm, Rowland seems remarkably unfazed. Already, 175 students have enrolled for the €5,500 course. Hibernia says it has received "many hundreds of applications from suitably qualified candidates" in the past month.
He says the quality of the course will prove his critics wrong. All candidates are first interviewed by an vastly experienced panel to assess their suitability. Courses will be held at weekends and in the evenings at "education centres" across the State. According to Hibernia, the course provides the "same academic coursework, teaching practice, in-school probationary inspections and examinations provided through all other State-recognised teacher-training colleges".
In a statement to The Irish Times, the Department of Education said: "The decision of the Minister, Mr Dempsey, is that he will recognise the qualification (from Hibernia ) so long as all of the conditions set by HETAC are met including those relating to quality control".
