ABSTRACT
The major developments in teacher education policy in the Republic of Ireland during the last three decades, whose emergence and justification can be traced to recent and current challenging economic circumstances, are explored in this chapter. The pace of economic and societal change coupled with educational reform has led to increased demands on the complex roles of the teacher not only in Ireland but in many countries. This has resulted in a greater focus on pre-service teacher education, which has become a key concern for national governments and international agencies. It is argued however, that during recent periods of economic stringency and recession in the Republic of Ireland the underlying rationale for policy developments in education owes more to the desire to cut costs than to invest for quality outcomes.
