The establishment of the new Teaching Council is one of the most important events in the history of the Irish education system, the Minister for Education and Science said today.
Speaking at a ceremony to formally unveil the council in Dublin's Mansion House, Mary Hanafin said it will focus on producing the highest possible standards of teaching and learning.
"The operation of the council has enormous potential to enhance the status and morale of the teaching profession and to develop the public service and accountability dimensions of its role," said Ms Hanafin.
The role of the Teaching Council is broadly similar to that of the Medical Council and other regulatory bodies for the professions. It has 37 members, 22 of whom are teachers. The rest were nominated by the teaching unions, school managers, teacher-training institutions, and parents' associations, as well as by the Minister.
The council will undertake vetting for teachers in conjunction with the Department and the Garda.
It has also been tasked with drawing up codes of professional practice for the profession and establishing a register of all teachers. The council will supervise and regulate standards in the profession by examining the fitness of teachers to teach and, if appropriate, imposing sanctions. These sanctions could ultimately include the deregistration of teachers.
However, Ms Hanafin insisted the council would only get involved in dealing with the fitness of teachers to work once all the usual human resource management procedures at school level have been exhausted.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and the Irish Vocational Education Association have welcomed the council.