Exclusive - teaching days lost in NI last year because of mental health illnesses highest in five years

More than 28,000 teaching days were lost at school across Northern Ireland last year because of mental health illnesses like stress and depression. A Freedom of Information request put in by this show to the Department of Education also reveals that 679 teachers took time off because of stress, depression and stress related illnesses in 2016/17. The figures show they had 28,507 work days last year. That compares to 578 teachers in 2012/13 taking 20,478 work days that year. Stephen was joined by Chris Donnelly, who's Vice Principal of Holy Cross Boys' School and says teachers are under so much stress they are simply hitting burn out, and businessman and commentator Irwin Armstrong.