Hanafin unable to provide staff to reduce class sizes

PARENTS could be waiting at least two more years before the Government meets its broken promise to reduce primary class sizes because of uncertain economic circumstances.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin was unable to make a commitment yesterday about when she can start providing the extra staff to the country’s 3,300 primary schools. But she said her department could only provide enough extra teachers next year to maintain current class sizes for the estimated 13,000 pupils expected to begin school next September.

The minister said it was made clear when the Programme for Government was published that the commitments being made were dependent on particular economic growth, but that the outlook had taken a turn since then.