Minister suspends 'toxic' teaching body

The professional body which regulates teachers in Northern Ireland has been suspended.

The General Teaching Council of Northern Ireland (GTCNI) is responsible for registering new teachers and upholding professional standards.

But Education Minister Michelle McIlveen said the council had not fulfilled its responsibilities.

She said it had "not been able to exercise regulation of the profession as intended".

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Speaking in the assembly, Ms McIlveen criticised the council for failures to provide leadership roles for teachers and the wider profession.

She accused the body of focusing too much time on "personal, and at times, bitter fighting among its membership".

"I can categorically state that for many years GTCNI has consumed a level of departmental time and resource which is entirely disproportionate to its size and the complexity of its functions," she said.

GTCNI promotes professional teaching standards in Northern Ireland

Thirteen members of the council have resigned since 2019.

Ms McIlveen cited a "toxic" atmosphere within the body as the reason why some had decided to leave.

"These withdrawals have significantly impacted on overall skills and experience within the council," she said.

She described a "repeated and sustained failure" to maintain normal governance within the body and repeated complaints from successive education ministers made to the council.

The education minister said she would be failing in her responsibilities not to make the decision to suspend the council.

In October, an internal GTCNI memo obtained by BBC News NI claimed the organisation was facing "critical staffing issues", causing delays in registering new teachers.

Ms McIlveen said it was essential newly qualified teachers should not face unnecessary barriers in entering the workforce.

"Arrangements are already being put in place to ensure GTCNI registration, a legal requirement for all NI teachers, continues without interruption," she said.

A consultation will take place to identify which of the teaching council's functions must be kept and how these can be delivered more efficiently.