Literacy and Numeracy

The draft plan (link from title of this) invites comments. I sent in this:
Dear Sir/Madam,
The quality and training of Primary teachers is critical
for success. We have to stop appointing teachers who
are afraid of Maths.
I favour making it a requirement for entry to ITE that
candidates have grade C in HLC maths, or an equivalent level
in some other jurisdiction. No ifs or buts.
Also, given my experience of incoming students with HLC Maths,
I favour further academic study (at least 15 ECTS credits)
in Maths (apart from study of Maths Education and methodology)
as part of teacher training courses.
This will ensure reasonable competence and
confidence in future teachers, in relation to Maths.

Similar requirements in English would be reasonable.

Your report does not deal with Irish, the state of which just makes
me weep. But there is a point to make. I date the really catastrophic
decline in the teaching and learning of Irish as following the
elimination of the HLC Irish requirement for entry to
the training colleges. After that, I started meeting teachers
at Parent-teacher meetings who could not conduct a simple
discussion with me in Irish about my childrens' progress.
You can't improve or even maintain
standards, if the teachers are incompetent.

We also need another report about science in primary schools.

Best regards,
Tony O'Farrell