Madam, - Surveys indicate that up to 10 per cent of primary teachers are currently untrained, yet teacher training colleges are complaining that a new internet-orientated course will do damage, according to a report by your Education Editor in The Irish Times of October 10th.
Ireland is crying out for more primary teachers and for more flexible means by which suitably qualified candidates can enter the profession.
It is disingenuous to suggest that the internet-orientated teacher training course will give rise to issues of "quality assurance" given that all student teachers including those using internet training will be subject to the same rigorous inspections by the Department of Education.
What is regrettable is that none of the colleges themselves have to date initiated such a course. It appears to have been left to the private sector to innovate and to invest in this regard, and now that a new course has been accredited by the authorities, the colleges seem to be attempting to stifle this process.
I wish the 195 new entrants to the course all the best. - Yours, etc.,
JIM O'LEARY ,
Parkvale,
Dundrum,
Dublin 16.