The Irish National Teachers' Organisation last night called for any further intake of students on to the privately-run online teacher-training course offered by Hibernia College to be delayed pending an evaluation of the course.
In a highly significant move, the INTO, which has been under intense pressure in recent weeks regarding the new course, said the first intake of students on to the course should be allowed to continue with their training.
However, it believes the Hibernia course should be subjected to an evaluation both by the Department of Education and an independent review group made up of experts in teacher education, distance learning and teachers.
While the INTO welcomed developments in teacher education, it considered any attempt to replace established courses of teacher education with auntested course was at best unwise, and at worst foolhardy and damaging to professionalism.
According to the INTO, delaying the introduction of the course would be prudent in light of concerns raised by teacher educators, and would be in keeping with the original proposal made by Hibernia College to the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC).
This proposed a one-off course for second-level teachers wishing to convert their qualifications to enable them to teach in primary schools, the statement said.
Responding to the INTO's statement, Dr Seán Rowland, executive chairman of Hibernia College, said he believed his college was attempting to address the "chronic need for primary school teachers". Hibernia was, he said, as concerned as anybody about maintaining quality.
The college respected the fact that people would have concerns with the new programme; however, he believed the only role for Hibernia was to add quality to teaching. "We never aim to replace anybody" he said. "We totally respect the work done by the colleges."
However, Mr Brian Tubbert of the Froebel College of Education, a teacher-training college based in Blackrock, Co Dublin, last night labelled as "disingenuous" Dr Rowland's claims on addressing the shortfall in primary school teachers.
Welcoming the statement by the INTO, which he said holds huge weight both as a union and as a professional organisation, he said it was important to remember that Hibernia was a private, money-making company seeking to take over the State's responsibility to train teachers.
Recent years, he said, had seen the numbers of places on courses throughout the state cut by 180, with the result that Hibernia's first intake of 175 students could be seen as an attempt by the Minister for Education to fill these places through an unproven private college .