NI teachers are the ultimate influencers for next generation

The news was revealed in the latest report commissioned by YouGov and showed that Miss and Sir were more likely to impact on young people’s lives than the Kardashians, for instance.

“Spending so much time with our students this isn’t a surprise to teachers, however, it does show that the decision-makers and employers are playing with fire when they fail to give the profession the respect and support it deserves,” said Jacquie White, general secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union.

The report revealed that teachers are the ultimate influencers, more so than YouTubers with millions of Instagram followers or ubiquitous global celebrities such as the Kardashian family.

Ms White added: “The findings, however, are at odds with what has become the sad reality of the profession, an army of vocationally-driven people who are finding it increasingly impossible to do their job because of lack of support, funding and respect.

“We risk losing some of our most precious assets to teaching – and ergo some of society’s most important influencers.”