Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton will on Monday address primary teachers at the annual INTO conference. Photograph: Sam Boal/CollinsMinister for Education Hildegarde Naughton is seeking several hundred million euro in additional exchequer funding this year, to deal with soaring demand. The Department of Education said this weekend that the Minister wanted to “reset the funding base” so it would be better aligned with a system that is based largely on demand. The additional money, the department believes, is needed in particular to address a growing requirement for special education services as well as for the school transport scheme. The Minister’s spokeswoman said in recent years additional funding had been required to support cost-of-living measures and meet increased demand for essential education services.

Source: The Irish Times April 06, 2026 05:09 UTC