The economic situation and the cutbacks made by the Irish government in response have been blamed for an increase in bad behaviour in schools.

Peter MacMenamin, general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), was quoted by the Irish Times as saying educators have claimed the current "predicament" is having an impact on pupil discipline.

"Good work" done by tutors in recent years has been eroded due to budget cuts, he said, indicating that the situation could be particularly worrying for mothers and fathers.

"Classroom disruption remains a matter of immediate concern to parents because it deprives their children of a proper learning environment," Mr MacMenamin commented.

"Most social problems manifest themselves initially in the classroom."

His comments were made at the TUI's annual congress, which finished earlier this week. Giving his official address at the conference on April 6th, Mr MacMenamin attacked government policies and claimed the union's members are furious with reductions in pay and other spending cuts.

Written by Donal Walsh

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