Extraordinary situation

Garda vetting of teachers

It seems extraordinary that 12 years after the setting up of a dedicated Garda central vetting unit, almost half the nation’s teachers have still to be subject to that essential process for people working with children.

Only new teachers and those moving schools are required to obtain Garda clearance, which is administered by the Teaching Council. That means that 36,000 of the 90,000 teachers registered with the council have still to be vetted. While legislation is being drafted that will make it mandatory for people with unsupervised access to children to acquire Garda clearance, existing teachers will still not be subject to the vetting procedures.