Cutbacks to cost vocational schools 260 teachers

THE budget cutbacks in education will cost vocational schools alone more than 260 teachers and a further 150 jobs could be lost in further education colleges, according to managers.

A survey of the budget’s impact on the 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) found they expect about 180 teachers to be lost from their 247 second-level schools as a result of changes in staffing schedules from next September.

Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe announced last month that second-level schools would be given a teacher for every 19 pupils next year, instead of the current allocation of one for each 18 students.