Dempsey refuses to apologise to teachers
Education Minister Noel Dempsey has refused to apologise to teachers for sending inspectors to schools before Christmas to ensure staff were not taking early holidays.
Mr Dempsey attracted the ire of teachers throughout the country when he announced plans for the inspection blitz.
The minister threatened to withhold benchmarking payments from teachers who took early holidays, saying to do so was a breach of the Sustaining Progress agreement.
Earlier today, the Irish National Teachers Organisation asked Mr Dempsey to apologise for his actions, saying they were a slur on hard-working teachers.
