Parties play the numbers game on teaching posts

WITH just weeks to go to the election, political parties are trying to outbid each other on the number of teachers they will appoint to solve overcrowding in primary school classes.

On Tuesday, Education Minister Mary Hanafin said, if elected, Fianna Fáil would provide 4,000 teachers and reduce average class sizes to 24 students for every teacher within three years.

She was quickly accused by Fine Gael of rehashing a promise already made in the last election but not honoured. Labour accused her of a “totally unrealisable commitment”.