Minister faces angry primary teachers as some stage walk-out in protest

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe braved the anger of primary teachers over education cutbacks and their falling pay packets as he asked them to bear the pain for the sake of Irish children’s future.

About 30 teachers walked out of the packed hall as he began to address the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation’s (INTO) annual congress in Letterkenny yesterday morning, and only the invited guests in the front row applauded at the end of his speech.

Mr O’Keeffe told the remaining 750 delegates it was understandable that some people are angry about the decisions the Government has had to make and that some of those decisions will cause real challenges for teachers and principals.