O’Keeffe under pressure to reverse class size policy

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe is under pressure to reverse his predecessor’s approach to class sizes and allow 40 schools around the country to hire an extra teacher.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said the Government had made a promise to provide one teacher for every 26 pupils in 2008 and this should be honoured.

Its general secretary John Carr said before Mary Hanafin left the department last week she said there was no money to fund the move and class sizes would remain at 27 for the current year.