Primary pupils crammed into their classrooms

Up to 100 small primary schools in rural County Galway are disadvantaged by the Government’s failure to reverse punitive cuts introduced seven years ago.

That’s according to Fianna Fáil TD and former Minister Éamon O Cuív, who said that small schools in villages and townlands in Connemara and East Galway are still feeling the effects of the changes made to pupil-teacher-ratio for two, three and four teacher schools in 2012.

Deputy Ó Cuív listed off over 30 primary schools in Connemara that have been hit by the cuts introduced seven years ago, but he claimed many more schools located in East Galway and South Galway were even worse off.

He made his comments as the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation revealed that over 1,400 primary school children in Galway crammed into classes of 30 – as they called on Government to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to the EU average of 20:1.

The Department of Education and Skills itself confirmed that two thirds (or 63 per cent of all schoolchildren) are being taught in classes of 25 or more, five above the EU average of 20.

Additionally, some 110,000 children (or 19.8 per cent of all primary schoolchildren) are being taught in classes of 30 or more.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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