Teachers demand action on class sizes

TEACHERS are demanding to meet with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern after accusing the Government of failing to reduce class sizes despite an election pledge to tackle the problem.

At the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) annual congress in Galway last night, general secretary John Carr gave the Government a stark warning that the union would campaign for a significant reduction in class sizes in all schools.

The Programme for Government promised to reduce average class sizes for children under nine to 20 pupils, but the average remains at just over 24. The EU average is 20.