Teachers say O’Keeffe’s predictions on effects of various cutbacks unrealistic

SECOND-level teachers and managers have rejected Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe’s assertion that only 240 teaching posts will be lost in their schools this autumn after provisional figures showed 3,600 fewer jobs.

The Department of Education is still finalising staff allocations to the country’s 730 second-level schools which had 26,276 teaching posts in the last school year. But figures published on its website yesterday led to suggestions that the minister’s prediction of the effects of various second level cutbacks after last October’s budget were unrealistic. At the initial staff allocation stage earlier this year, there were 990 fewer teachers than the same time last year, but the latest figures show a difference of 3,615 jobs between allocations up to early June and the final number of posts last year.

Officials have completed a third of the extra allocation process and most of the remainder of approvals are expected to be for teachers working with special needs students, as well as language support and Traveller teachers. Just more than 4,000 additional posts were allocated last year but the final allocation will not be known until the end of the year.