Boom led to large fall in pupil-teacher ratios

THE increased investment in education during the boom years resulted in Ireland having one of the biggest falls in primary pupil-teacher ratios in Europe.

According to Eurostat, the EU’s official statistical office, the number of pupils per teacher in primary education here fell from 22 to 16 between 2000 and 2009. But while only Malta, Lithuania and Latvia — from 18 countries with comparable data — recorded bigger falls, Ireland’s primary pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) was still higher than the EU average of 14.5:1 in 2009.

The allocation of mainstream teachers to primary schools, which help determine class sizes, were increased in 2006 and 2007. But the PTR drop also reflects big increases in the number of special needs teachers sanctioned by governments during the period concerned.