‘Schools should not be closed just to save money’

THE proposed closure of around 1,000 small primary schools should only happen if it can be justified for educational reasons, a parents’ leader has said.

The amalgamation of 659 schools with fewer than 50 pupils with larger ones and the merger of another 850 with 50 to 100 pupils could save around €25 million, according to An Bord Snip Nua.

But National Parents Council chief executive Áine Lynch said any decision should not be based solely on financial considerations.