The NI Education Minister, John O'Dowd, has this afternoon responded to reports of an increase in the number of teacher redundancies this year.

Earlier, the BBC reported a teachers' union's warning of pressure on the education system because of an alleged raft of redundancies at schools across Northern Ireland.

The report said that provisional figures showed that 314 teachers are taking redundancy deals and that the vast majority are going voluntarily as there is a 'generous severance deal' on the desk.

It has also been reported that the teacher redundancies are also topped off with 163 classroom assistant posts that are expected to be cut as well after schools blamed the move on Executive budget cutbacks.

Speaking a few hours later, the Sinn Fein Minister, Mr O'Dowd said: "The number of redundancies in the education workforce has fallen dramatically over recent years.

"Due to movement in the system there is always a certain level of redundancies, however the level is far below that of around five years ago when the figure was regularly over 500.

"Furthermore, the majority of these are voluntary redundancies," he insisted.

"Figures rose slightly in the last year as the Department set aside funding to assist employing authorities encourage volunteers and minimise the need for compulsory redundancies.

"Nevertheless, the issues we face in dealing with a challenging budget settlement will include the management of the workforce; particularly given the fact that almost 80% of expenditure in education is on staffing costs," the Executive Minister related.

Jobs Protected

Mr O'Dowd also said that he was aiming to protect classroom jobs: "My predecessor re-allocated money from the capital to the resource budget, and the Department's financial priorities for the next four years reflect this aim.

"Furthermore, over the last five years the number of teacher training posts has been cut by almost 25%, reflecting the expected future demand for teachers," he said.

"Despite this, it will undoubtedly be a challenge for all in the sector over the coming years to ensure resources are managed in the most appropriate manner possible," he said, adding, "under Local Management of Schools arrangements, the budgetary decisions within a school are a matter for the Principal and Board of Governors.

"They are the people best placed to make the right decisions for pupils," he said.

"For my part, I will continue to ensure our resources are targeted where they are most needed, the classroom, and will work to secure more efficient governance in the administration of education to release further funds for the frontline."

(BMcC/GK)