Education Minister hits back at critics of teacher job switch scheme

A row has broken out over a new scheme to replace older teaching staff with newly qualified teachers. Education Minister John O'Dowd wants to encourage up to 500 teachers over the age of 55 to retire with early access to their full pension. The "Investing in the Teaching Workforce" scheme will offer the deal as long as schools replace the member of staff with a newly qualified teacher, or one who has graduated within the past three years.

But now over six thousand people have signed a petition against the scheme. With the SDLP leader Colum Eastwood posting on social media that the policy is "stupid and discriminatory".