Teaching courses may widen entry requirements

Primary teaching courses could revert to using interviews or aptitude tests as well as Leaving Certificate results to identify suitable students, under changes being considered by the profession.

There are already proposals to increase the standards needed in Irish, English and maths to be selected for the bachelor of education (BEd) programmes.

But as the inclusion of additional assessments to choose college entrants comes under consideration by third-level bosses, similar plans are already being examined for entry to teacher-training courses.