Teacher protest - Society will pay over unfair cuts

The protest rally by about 2,000 teachers outside Leinster House yesterday raises many issues. The three main teacher unions — the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland, and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland — were remonstrating against educational cuts.

They were not protesting about cuts in the salaries of teachers, Pat King, the general secretary of the ASTI, stressed to RTÉ. The rally was a figurative shot across the bows of the Government ahead of the budget.

The INTO president, Anne Fay, told the gathering there was no room for more cuts in primary education. It is already enduring increases in class sizes and the elimination of supports for students.