Teachers are to get their own professional regulatory body similar to the Medical Council for doctors. It has been a long-standing demand of the teacher unions.
A technical working group report received by the Minister for Education and Science last week sets out a recommended timetable for the establishment of a Teaching Council. In his speech to the INTO today, Mr Martin will say he is confident the required legislation will be enacted by next spring.
The report recommends that the task of preparing a list of recognised State-paid teachers who would be eligible to stand and vote in the first elections for the council be completed by September 1999.
This would allow the first election to be organised by December 1999, and the first meeting of the council to take place in January 2000.
In his introductory letter to Mr Martin, the group's chairman, Dr Seamus McGuinness of TCD's School of Education, writes: "We are convinced that the establishment of a Teaching Council represents an essential step towards the recognition of teaching as a fully fledged profession, and would entitle teachers to appropriate regulation of their own affairs and empower them with greater responsibility for the quality of education."
The proposed Teaching Council will take over a range of functions now performed by the Department of Education and Science, including the registration of teachers. It could take disciplinary action in cases of serious misconduct, although striking a teacher off would require a High Court ruling.
All existing teachers would be registered with the new council. The report recommends in the future they pay a tax-deductible £50 annual registration charge.
The council would also advise the Department on the induction of newly qualified teachers; draw up codes of professional practice and conduct; and devise a framework for in-service training.
Complaints against teachers would be heard by two committees, an investigating and a disciplinary committee. They would have powers to investigate and adjudicate on complaints that teachers have failed to meet acceptable standards.
The report recommends these committees should have the power to enforce attendance of witnesses, examine them on oath and compel the production of documents. If witnesses do not comply with these requirements, their action could be construed as contempt of court.
The report recommends that the council have 33 members: nine elected regionally by primary teachers and nine by second-level teachers, four by universities and teacher-training colleges and four by school management bodies. Five would be appointed by the Minister, including one each from IBEC and ICTU, and two would come from the national parents' bodies.