A Tipperary government TD believes Thurles is the prime location for a new Home Economics teacher training course.
Fianna Fail’s Jackie Cahill gave an upbeat assessment on the potential for such a course at Mary Immaculate College saying that the education in the town is ‘booming’.
Deputy Cahill raised the matter with Minister Norma Foley and highlighted the press to train more teachers over the coming years to meet demand.
Deputy Cahill says “Currently, the only four-year Home Economics teacher training course in the country is based in Co Sligo, and there is a clear opening for a second option in the Tipperary region.
Deputy Cahill outlined how the course could be delivered with little cost to the exchequer.
Tipperary ETB can furnish the relevant resources, such as the kitchens needed, and Mary Immaculate in turn are anxious that Further Education students can continue to access their teacher preparation programmes through their PATH programme.
The TD appealed to the Minister to make the course a reality from September 2023.
The issue may not progress as Munster Technological University is offering a Home Economics & Business programme this Autumn.
The MT930 course offers a ‘protected pathway’ to graduates to progress to the Professional Master of Education in University College Cork, qualifying them to teach both Home Economics and Business subjects in post-primary schools in Ireland.
