TD calls for an end to overcrowded classrooms

CHILDREN going back to school this week or joining as junior infants are being crammed into classrooms which are far too overcrowded, according to a Waterford TD.

And it must stop now, says Brian O’Shea, Labour Party spokesman on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Mr O’Shea wants Education Minister Mary Hanafin to reduce primary school class sizes after it was recently revealed that a quarter of all classes have 30 children or more.

Despite the appointment of 4,000 additional primary school teachers since 2002, far too many children are being taught in overcrowded classrooms, said Mr O’Shea.

Mr O’Shea said action was urgently needed to curb the unacceptable increase in the number of 30-plus classes. This flies in the face of the commitment to smaller classes in the coalition parties’ programme for Government, he said.

“While new teachers were appointed, many were not involved in mainstream teaching duties, so there was an overall deterioration rather than the promised improvement in the effort to reduce the number of over-crowded classes.

Ms Hanafin said the average class size in primary schools is now down to 24 and there is one teacher to every 17 pupils, including resource teachers and others. Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever, he said.

All schools are staffed on a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children, said Ms Hanafin.

“Of course schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases and so on — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children.

“Next year this is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007/2008, it will be reduced to 27 per classroom teacher.”

The minister admitted that while the average class size is 24, some schools do have classes with more than 30 pupils in them.

“The number of children in such classes has, however, decreased significantly under this government,” she said.

Mr O’Shea said the issues of class sizes would be a major issue during the next election.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation has launched a campaign asking all parents to sign a petition to secure more realistic reductions in class sizes. This campaign involves teacher meetings in all 42 constituencies.