Small primary schools here face a risk of closure similar to that faced by many rural banks, post offices and Garda stations unless urgent action is taken to address the particular problems they encounter, a major new study has claimed.
The research, to be presented at the annual conference of the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) later today, says that while standards in such schools are broadly comparable to larger schools, they are also subject to significant disadvantages.
These include professional isolation for teaching staff, fewer facilities and educational opportunities for students, and the demands of multi-class teaching.
According to the IPPN, each week 73 per cent of primary principals teaching in schools with fewer than 180 pupils have to combine full teaching duties with their other managerial and administrative responsibilities.
The 180-pupil figure is the cut-off point at which schools are entitled to a full-time principal.
The report, entitled "New horizons for smaller schools and teaching principalship in Ireland" was undertaken jointly by St Patrick's College and the IPPN over a period of two years.
It suggests that the best way to ensure the future of small schools is through a "clustering" arrangement, which would involve schools collaborating on a range of issues.
It outlines five possible levels of "clustering", which could entail the retention of individual boards of management and staff, but the pooling of other resources such as teachers with specific expertise, joint activities between pupils, and shared ancillary staff.
Another option for schools would be to create a federation between schools. This would involve the amalgamation of boards of management, staff, and budgets - but the retention of separate campuses.
The report also calls on the Department of Education and Science to make a fund available for a pilot project to investigate a clustering arrangement, and highlights examples of where this is already operating effectively.
Mr Tomás Ó Slatara, deputy president of the IPPN and co-author of the report with Dr Mark Morgan of St Patrick's College, called for urgent action to implement its main recommendations.
"The small school is very important to the wider community. . . many isolated rural communities are already losing other valued services such as post offices, banks and local shops," he said.
"[ It] is a welcome alternative to the politically unpopular options of amalgamation or closure that are the current reality facing many smaller schools."