Student teachers need help - Classroom money worries

PINNED to the Easter card sent to education minister Richard Bruton by the Union of Students, in association with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and two teachers’ unions Ireland, was some worrying reading for a holiday weekend.

It summarises the results of a survey of more than 3,000 student teachers, almost half of whom say they are “considering” abandoning college because they find the financial costs — the €1,500 Gaeltacht fee, accommodation, food and teaching materials — they face when on work placements unaffordable without additional income from part-time jobs.