42,000 teachers yet to be vetted by gardaí

More than 42,000 teachers have yet to undergo Garda vetting, but plans to bridge the gap could be restricted by Government staffing restrictions on the body responsible.

The Teaching Council is subject to the same recruitment ban as the public service, even though it is funded by teachers’ registration fees.

The anomaly could also limit the council’s ability to use its imminent powers to investigate complaints and take sanctions against under-performing and misbehaving teachers. It administers the vetting of 6,000 teachers starting their careers every year. However, more than half the 73,000 teachers on its register are not vetted, as most of those working before the council was established in 2006 have not been legally required to be vetted.