Frankie Feighan TD asked the Minister for Education: School Staff

Frankie Feighan, the TD for Co Leitrim, raised a question in the Oireachtas on 19 May 2026 concerning the assessment of candidates applying for posts of responsibility within schools. He asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a candidate could provide evidence of competence from outside their immediate school context – for example, service with the Office of the Inspector of Education (OIDE), the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the National College of the Catholic Church (NCC), other schools or workplaces – and, if so, whether that experience should be accredited with the same scoring as evidence of competency obtained within the immediate school setting. The question was directed at clarifying how external professional experience is weighed in the selection process for school leadership roles. The TD’s inquiry reflects ongoing discussions about the criteria used to evaluate potential school leaders and the value placed on broader educational and professional experience. For more details, see the Oireachtas debate record.

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