The Government might raise the bar for new school teachers by requiring they have postgraduate qualifications.
The proposal is from a working group advising the Government on ways of raising the status and professionalism of the teaching workforce.
The Government published the discussion document on Thursday.
The working group says entry standards for teaching programmes are relatively low and do not necessarily attract the top people.
Most primary teachers have degrees but no postgraduate qualifications and the one-year course completed by most secondary teachers is not a postgraduate qualification.
Council of Deans of Education chair James Chapman says the proposal would be good for teaching.
Professor Chapman says universities already want to make their one-year secondary teaching diplomas into postgraduate qualifications.
The working group also recommends compulsory training for teachers who want to be principals.
It also notes some boards of trustees do not have the expertise required to appoint school principals.
