From ‘sojourning’ to standards: a critical reflection on the evolution of initial teacher education policy in Ireland

Given the many foci and functions of the education system in Ireland in both the colonial era (up to 1921) and since, teacher selection, training/education, recruitment and management have been topical and contested issues. This article traces key trends in the historical evolution of initial teacher education (ITE) policy for primary teachers in Ireland over the past two centuries, moving from a period where training involved ‘sojourning’ around schools to the contemporary era where ITE programmes are underpinned by elaborate and prescriptive standards. Framed within the wider international socio-political context, a particular emphasis is placed on the implications of policy developments in the past decade that have fundamentally altered the landscape of ITE. The paper argues that Ireland’s contemporary ITE policy is characterised by a range of tensions and debates that arise from the interface of its historical lineage with contemporary global discourses.