Gaelscoileanna fight to keep teachers

MORE than 40 all-Irish primary schools will lose teachers next September following a change in the current favourable pupil-teacher ratio in Gaelscoileanna.

They will have the same ratio as the English-medium schools, a change that will particularly hit Gaelic schools with between three and eight teachers.

A campaign to retain the present ratio was launched yesterday by Gaelscoileanna Teo, whose president, Micheal O Broin, said the present system recognised the considerable extra workload involved in running an Irish-medium school, such as implementing the entire curriculum through the medium of Irish.

Up to 31 schools will lose one teacher, four schools will lose two teachers and administrative principals will have to return to the classroom in the case of six schools.

As a consequence, the number of pupils in classes will increase and there will many mixed classes with a high number of children in them, he said.

Irish Independent