SCHOOLS WILL be prohibited from employing retired teachers under legislation to be introduced by Minister for Education Mary Coughlan.

“On the basis people are not adhering to the circular on the non-employment of retired teachers, I will add another legislative measure to prevent this happening,” the Minister told the Dáil.

She added: “I want to see if there is any possibility to get this legislation through the House before the general election.”

Fine Gael education spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said 30 per cent of last year’s UCD graduates were unemployed.

Ms Coughlan also said it was the department’s policy that all teachers should be fully qualified and registered by the Teaching Council to safeguard the standards and quality of education.

She said section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001, which had not yet commenced, provided that only registered teachers could be remunerated out of monies provided by the Oireachtas.

Ms Coughlan said that to commence section 30 as it stood without amendment could have a serious negative impact on several schools in which unqualified personnel were teaching or in schools where short-term absences occurred.

“I have a responsibility to ensure schools can and are capable of remaining open, even where such absences occur,” Ms Coughlan said.

“For this reason, I am providing a way for this to be done while still ensuring a strong teaching profession.”