The Teachers’ Union of Ireland says there's been a significant drop in the number of lecturers in the Institutes of Technology sector, despite a rise in the number of students attending the third level institutes in Ireland.

New figures released by the union show the number of students in the IT sector increased by over 17% between 2008 and 2012. However, the number of full-time lecturers decreased by 8% between 2008 and 2013.

The union says funding for the sector has also decreased by 22%.

The President of the TUI, Gerard Craughwell, says appropriate investment is needed in the sector to meet the future needs of the economy. He emphasises, "This country markets itself internationally as a knowledge based economy". 

Image: Photocall Ireland