Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 May 1998

Vol. 491 No. 3

Written Answers. - Pupil-Teacher Ratio.

Noel Ahern

Question:

525 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Science if, in relation to primary schools, he will state the national pupil to teacher ratio; the Dublin pupil to teacher ratio; the number of classrooms national with 35 or more pupils; the number of classrooms nationally with 40 or more pupils; the national pupil to teacher ratios for disadvantaged schools; the Dublin pupil to teacher ratio for disadvantaged schools; the number of split classes nationally with 30 or more pupils; the number of split classes in the Dublin region with 30 or more pupils; and the amendments, if any, planned in the above for the 1997-98 academic year. [12169/98]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Data regarding regional pupil teacher ratios and regional classroom sizes is not readily available. The national pupil-teacher ratio in the current school year is 21.7 to 1.

In 1996-7 the number of classrooms nationally with 35 or more pupils was 1,441 while the number of classrooms nationally with 40 or more pupils was 46. The number of split classes, i.e. consecutive and multi-grade classes, nationally with 30 or more pupils in 1996-7 was 1,631. Classes in all schools which are designated as disadvantaged cannot exceed 29 pupils.

It is important to emphasise that, where maxmum class size guidelines are breached in a particular class or classes in a school, this usually results from a conscious decision taken by school management with a view to facilitating much smaller classes elsewhere in the school. My decision to retain the demographic dividend arising in the current school year will ensure that the pupil-teacher ratio will decline to below 21.5 to 1 in the 1998-99 school year.