Ireland still has 'the busiest classrooms in Europe', teachers' conference hears

The publication of Education Indicators for Ireland 2023 — a report presenting a comprehensive set of educational markers — showed that the pupil-teacher ratio has reportedly fallen from 15.2 to 13.4 since 2018, while in post-primary it has fallen from 12.7 to 12.5.  File photo

A significant fall in pupil-teacher ratios at both primary and secondary level is still not enough progress, with Ireland still having the "busiest classrooms in Europe", the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) annual conference has heard.

While there were some welcome announcements from the Department of Education before the start of the conference in Derry on Monday, the mood of the conference was far from buoyant, with chief concerns relating to teacher recruitment and retention.