Dr Gareth Burns and Dr Jerry O’Neill contributed to a recent article in the Irish Examiner that looked at the financial barriers to accessing Initial Teacher Education.
In the article Dr O’Neill and Dr Burns focused on the ways in which the Turn to Teaching project is working to support students from diverse and underrepresented groups in, through and beyond initial teacher education. In terms of learning emerging from the research and evaluation of the project, Dr Burns and Dr O’Neill highlighted the need for increased SUSI grants for students on postgraduate teacher education courses.
They also spoke of the work Turn to Teaching is doing in creating an alternative, university-based pathway for initial teacher education, but also advocated for an increased policy focus on working collaboratively with the Further Education sector to create further differentiated pathways into teaching. In this way, pathways can be created that that are responsive to the needs and circumstances of students that have traditionally being disadvantaged by the Leaving Certificate examination process, which both academics argued was in need of urgent reform.
The full article can be accessed here