No-frills budgeting won't fly in Longford / Westmeath schools

In the wake of what they dubbed as 'offensive comments' from Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) has said that education must take centre stage in this General Election. 

With record surpluses in the Irish Exchequer, the INTO says it is committed to making increased investment in education a central issue for all candidates standing for election to the 34th Dáil.

At the start of this school year, 4,401 children in Ireland were in emergency accommodation, over 2,000 children were in International Protection accommodation, and more than 100,000 children were on hospital waiting lists, with a fifth of them waiting over a year for treatment or assessment. Additionally, over 250,000 primary school children were in overcrowded classes of 25 or more, with 50,000 in classes exceeding 30. 

Also read: Longford / Westmeath Sinn Féin TD: 'Video of jeering Fine Gaelers reveals party’s contempt for teachers and workers'

Recent data from the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) highlights a severe teacher shortage in Ireland's primary and special schools, with 951 teaching positions currently unfilled and an additional 1,816 vacancies anticipated by January 2025 – totalling a projected shortfall of 2,767 teachers for the 2024/2025 school year. Over 50% of schools in Dublin, Wicklow, and Kildare report unfilled teaching posts, and 745 unqualified personnel have been employed to cover short-term absences, 284 of whom are based in Dublin alone