Sargent targets ‘disgraceful’ failure to reduce class sizes

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern last night insisted the reason the Government failed to meet its commitment to reduce class sizes was because it rightly redirected resources to special needs, disabled and disadvantaged pupils.

In a heated Dáil exchange with Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, Mr Ahern accepted that the Government had not reached the Programme for Government target of reducing the average class size for under nines from 30 to 20.

He said there were more than 4,000 more primary teachers in schools since 2002 but most were focused on special needs areas.