EI affiliate the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has welcomed the formal establishment of the Teaching Council as the professional body for Ireland's teachers.
The launch of the Teaching Council follows a long campaign by the ASTI for the establishment of a regulatory body for teachers. Commenting on its establishment, ASTI General Secretary, John White said: "The Teaching Council will play an important role in enhancing the status of teaching and the teaching profession. It will protect standards of entry to teaching, foster best practice in continuing professional development for teachers and promote teaching as a profession. The Teaching Council will also provide teachers with the opportunity to contribute to the development of their profession." Of the 22-teacher representatives on the Teaching Council there are seven ASTI representatives.