The Education Minister is being accused of being off the ball when it comes to keeping teachers in the country. Norma Foley is set to address the TUI Conference in Killarney, as it and other unions raise the ongoing issue of recruitment and retention of teachers.
Ray Nolan is the Standing Committee Executive representing counties Cavan and Monaghan. Mr Nolan believes that present issues facing the sector have been coming down the line for a "long time" given the changes in education and how teachers working conditions have been down graded over the years.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Mr Nolan believes that there are a number of incentives, such as increased investment, that could rectify the situation at present. Mr Nolan is calling for greater investment in education. He highlighted that the latest OECD figures show of 36 countries, Ireland spends the lowest percentage of its GDP on education. At second level this accounts for just 1% of our national wealth, which is just half the OECD average.
