Irish teachers are ‘miserably paid’

Glenties, 7 April 1916 - A meeting of the Donegal Teachers’ Association has listed the many grievances held by teachers.

Among the speakers was George Ramsey of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, who said: ‘It is well known that the greatness of a country depends upon its education, and so long as Irish elementary education is handicapped as it is at present good progress cannot be made.’

Teachers have complained bitterly about their level of pay. Complaints on pay have become particularly acute as the cost of living has soared since the beginning of the war. There are also complaints over the system of promotion and over the general approach to education taken by the state.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]