Illogical savings in education with no thought to consequences

WITH almost a third of the country’s 4,000 schools awaiting funding for building projects, it could be many decades before the country’s stock of classrooms is up to modern standards.

It was a little surprising, then, to see Bord Snip Nua’s heavy tome of gloom and doom suggest how massive staff savings could be achieved by shutting about 1,000 small primary schools with fewer than 100 pupils each. There is clear merit in considering the economies of scale that could be achieved if Ireland did not have so many small rural schools, dotted around the countryside, many of them with part-time secretaries, caretakers and specialist teachers visiting occasionally to give children extra assistance with language or special educational needs.

At first glance, it would seem to make sense – amalgamate 650 schools that have 50 children or fewer with larger schools in their areas, and also merge 850 schools with 50 to 100 pupils (meaning closure of up to half that number). Because many of these smaller schools have pupil-teacher ratios well below average, about 500 teaching posts would be lost at a saving of €27 million, the report argues.