The Opposition today claimed the Government is failing to protect teachers after a trade union survey reported 20 per cent of post-primary teachers were victims of pupil intimidation.
Both Sinn Féin and Labour today blamed the failure to properly fund a service to tackle behavioural problems in pupils and said what money was available was largely swallowed up by administration.
The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) today published finalised figures for a survey it conducted last March asking over 1,000 teachers in 50 schools about their experiences over the course of a week.
The survey found that 20.5 per cent encountered "threatening/intimidating behaviour directed at me by students". Some 8 per cent of respondents said they experienced "sexual innuendo/harassment", and 36 per cent reported "unacceptable verbal abuse" by the parents of students.
Some 62 per cent reported "unacceptable defiance"; 50 per cent reported bullying of fellow pupils and 21 per cent reported violence against pupils.
Some €8 million has been allocated to the National Behaviour Support Service this year but Sinn Féin education spokesman Sean Crowe said this would only cover 50 schools.
"It is absolutely inadequate and is tantamount to abandoning teachers to classroom bullies," Mr Crowe said.
Labour spokesperson on education and science Jan O'Sullivan said that last year €2 million in funding last year was spent on 34 administrators and only four psychologists.
"Appointing a national co-ordinator and regional development officers is all well and good, but schools and teachers need to see action at the chalkface. It seems that the Minister has simply set up another bureaucracy to enable her to distance herself from the problem.
"We need qualified professionals working hands-on in our schools. We also need to provide support to schools, more direct assistance in the classroom and more help for the kids who need support," Ms O'Sullivan said.
The TUI survey also found between 70 and 80 per cent of teachers had experienced various other forms of unacceptable behaviour including damage to property; failure to bring books and materials to class; and lateness and absenteeism.
The preliminary findings were published last April and dominated the teachers' annual conference last August.