SCHOOLS in the Republic need significant investment to help students from Ukraine, a teachers' union has said.
Kieran Christie, general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), said schools need more support to allow them to teach refugees.
He told the union's annual convention yesterday that it stands in solidarity with its colleagues and students from Ukraine.
But he said the war "will present challenges on a scale for the Irish school system that we have never seen before".
He said the union is part of a group which is working to address the impact of an increase in students on an "already heavily oversubscribed and underfunded system".
"We are calling for provision to overcome the language barriers, the need for education welfare services, critical incidents trauma and wider supports, and many other resources that are necessary," he said.
"As you may be aware, regional education support teams have been put in place to seek to match up services and streamline provision.
"There is no doubt that the management of the situation will be an enormous strain in the period of time to come."
Mr Christie also said the ongoing lack of investment in schools, coupled with "innovation overload", has led to a stress crisis in teaching.
"Inadequate CPD (continuous professional development), limited staffing and inadequate resources, implementing new curricular models, and teaching overcrowded classes are some of the contributing factors that have sapped the morale and energy of our members," he said.
