The number of teachers taking early retirement is rising

Since April 2003 more than 2,300 teachers retired, but fewer than 700 had reached full retirement age.

The number taking redundancy packages has risen by two thirds since last year - due to the falling birth rate leading to fewer pupils in school.

A teachers' union leader said the redundancy figure has risen steeply.

Seamus Searson, regional director of the union NASUWT, said the situation was likely to get worse by the summer.

"This year there was 575 teachers made redundant, on early retirement basis, and we're expecting somewhere in the region of 800 teachers next year - that was information from the education and library boards," he said.

"I'm just astonished that the education service could lose so many teachers without a detrimental effect."

'Way out'

Schools have been given strict instructions not to overspend, so in many cases cannot afford to keep their full staff of teachers.

The Ulster Teachers Union has called for teacher salaries to be paid centrally so that principals are not faced with cutting jobs among their own staff.

But it said early retirement through redundancy is a "valuable way out" for older teachers at a time when pupil numbers are reducing.

The education board which has consistently made fewest redundancies is one with a history of serious financial problems, the South Eastern.

There 78 teachers were made redundant this year, compared to 126 in the Belfast board.

In the fiscal year 2004-2005, 319 teachers were made redundant, so far this year 544 have been made redundant.