Minister to meet TDs about lack of school places

MINISTER for Education Ruairi Quinn wants to meet with TDs representing East Cork to discuss ways of heading off a crisis, which if not averted could see hundreds of pupils unable to gain places in primary and secondary schools.

He made his comments after Deputy David Stanton (FG) highlighted lack of state forward planning which has seen the population along the Cork-Midleton railway corridor mushroom, but at the same time no new schools have been built to accommodate the children.

The population explosion is highlighted by the fact that there are double the amount of junior infants compared to children in sixth class in 21 primary schools in the region.