Hildegarde Naughton, the Minister for Education in Ireland, is pushing for several hundred million euros in additional funding to meet the soaring demand for educational services. This request comes as the Department of Education aims to 'reset the funding base' to better align with a demand-driven system. The additional funds are particularly crucial for enhancing special education services and the school transport scheme. Last year, the department faced a shortfall requiring an extra €580 million, while the previous year saw a need for €1.09 billion. Naughton is expected to announce a new initiative at the annual conference of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) aimed at reimbursing medical expenses for teachers injured while working. Over 200 primary teachers were reported injured in the past two years, prompting calls for a more uniform approach to managing medical expenses. The government is currently grappling with a projected budget overrun of about €600 million, raising concerns from the Department of Public Expenditure regarding escalating costs. Despite these challenges, Naughton emphasizes that education is a constitutional right and is committed to ensuring that the school system is adequately funded to meet the needs of a growing student population, which has increased by more than 200,000 children since 2003.