The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) has welcomed the Government’s commitment in Tuesday’s budget to appoint an additional 470 teachers at post-primary level and called for an end to cuts in the education sector.

NAPD president Pádraig Flanagan will address delegates at the organisation’s annual conference in Galway today which Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan will attend.

Mr Flanagan last night said he will call on Ms O’Sullivan to view education as “an investment and not as a cost”.

“We welcome the announcement in Tuesday’s budget of an additional 470 new teachers at post-primary level,” he said.

“Our increasing second-level school population makes this increase critical to the functioning of our schools.

“The NAPD has repeatedly called for a restoration of middle management and posts of responsibility in our secondary schools, which were greatly reduced during the economic downturn, to be restored.

“We are now anxious to move this agenda forward and to engage with the Minister on how best to begin restoring these leadership supports in our schools.”