Education cuts - Reforms should be proposed

About 11,000 more primary school pupils started school this year than last year, but the allocation of teachers will not catch up until next year.

In 2012, some 10,000 extra pupils started school, and the extra teachers to reflect that increase have been hired for the current school year.

The extra 10,000 pupils last year meant the average class size rose from 24.4 to 24.7. In other words, there was almost one extra pupil for every three classes. In these times of cutbacks, this hardly reflects an earth-shattering difference, although it should be stated that EU average class size is three pupils fewer.