Reducing class sizes in schools is “absolutely achievable” despite warnings from public spending officials that it should not be considered until overspending in education is tackled, Minister for Education Helen McEntee has said.
Ms McEntee was speaking after her address to the annual congress of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) in Galway on Tuesday morning.
She told delegates that while class sizes at primary have fallen to a new low of one teacher for 23 pupils, she was committed to fulfilling the programme for Government pledge to reduce it to one teacher for 19 pupils.
“Absolutely, I think it is achievable,” she told reporters, after her address. “It’s a very clear commitment from all of Government that we will further reduce class sizes. They’re the lowest they’ve ever been, but there’s a very clear commitment to reduce it even further,” she said.
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She said education was a “demand-led” service which meant considerable resources needed to be invested to ensure all children have school places, special education support and new school buildings.
“We need to invest in our young people, we need to invest in education and that’s been the case today and that’s not going to change now,” she said.
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Ms McEntee received numerous rounds of applause from delegates for recent announcements, such as the extension of in-school therapies, fast-tracking new entrant teachers into permanent posts and allowing students teachers who qualify abroad to complete their inductions in Irish schools.
However, she received heckles when she referenced the need to ensure schools have the finances they need to meet their costs.
The congress heard on Monday that “chronic underfunding” was threatening the solvency of primary schools, with many forced to rely on cake sales and donations to pay basic heating and lighting bills.
Over the last two Budgets, Ms McEntee said the Government has provided a 22 per cent increase in the level of capitation grant rates paid to schools.
“I’m very clear that we need to do more,” she said. “I am absolutely determined in my work as minister for education in budget negotiations, outside negotiations, any chance that I can, to make the case for more funding for education.
“ ... I will do everything in my power to ensure those increases that we have seen, and that have been needed, will go even further ...”
Responding to the minster, INTO general secretary John Boyle said Ireland’s primary class sizes remain the “highest in the Eurozone”.
“This cannot continue. Irish children deserve the same learning opportunities as their EU counterparts,” he said.
Falling enrolments at primary level over the coming years, he said, present the “best opportunity in decades” to deliver smaller classes at “no additional cost”.
Mr Boyle also called for capitation rates for primary schools to be increased from €224 to €400 per pupil, along with increase in other school grants which have been frozen for “donkey’s years”.
In addition, he said the “escalating housing affordability crisis” was now “disastrous” for the teaching workforce.
“A new primary teacher earns €3,700 a month before tax – yet faces €900 for a single room in a so-called cost-rental two-bedroom apartment. There’s no path to home ownership: even if it were possible to save €200 a month, it would take nearly 20 years to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home,” he said.
“That’s simply not realistic – not for single teachers, not even for many dual-income couples, especially in our cities. Childcare costs only deepen the crisis.”
Until housing supply meets demand, he said the Government must act to support essential workers priced out by better-paid private sector peers.
