Rule demanding schools hire only qualified teachers could hit subject choices

Secondary schools fear that from November, students may lose out on subjects because of legal stipulations that only qualified teachers may take classes.

The deadline, announced by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, means that those who do not have a recognised qualification and are not registered with the Teaching Council, will not be paid for teaching work after Nov 1.

But while commencing Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act should end all but exceptional hiring of unqualified people in schools, there are concerns about the impact where teachers in certain subjects are not available.