Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills

School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. John Irwin:

If the issue were anti-racism, I would be speaking about promoting inclusion and diversity. To become a secondary teacher in Ireland it is predestined that the student will need to be from a middle class background given the cost. That is a fact of life. Unless we support people on that journey we will not break that cycle. It is important that cycle is broken and we have more diversity among teachers in schools.