THE Government may have a rethink on a controversial part of the Employment Equality Act, which a union leader claimed discriminates against people on religious grounds.

EDUCATION services may have to be severely cut as a result of the Croke Park deal’s protection of public service wages, Green Party TD Paul Gogarty has warned.

CHANGES should be made to the Leaving Certificate to allow more students, who are not interested in the points race, to reach their potential, teachers and business leaders said last night.

THE poor job prospects of early school-leavers highlight the need for paid educational leave from work, teachers have claimed.

MAJOR changes to the Leaving Certificate will not impact on students sitting the exam for at least the next three years.

ONLY one Irish teacher - out of the country’s 50,000 - was sacked in the past four years for unsatisfactory teaching, according to recent figures.