THE slow down in the birth rate which is freeing education resources must not be allowed to disguise the reality of an increasing strain being placed on schools in areas with huge population growth, according to Democratic Left chairwoman Ms Catherine Murphy.
Ms Murphy, the DL candidate in Kildare North, said her area and parts of Co Dublin are experiencing huge increases in pupil numbers, and many parents are not able to find school places for their children.
Resources being freed in some areas must be concentrated on "reducing pupil teacher ratios, targeting areas of disadvantage and ensuring that areas experiencing a population boom have their education needs met not only today, but also in the future".
Fianna Fail, she said, had promised to supply a second teacher for every one teacher school in the State, regardless of the numbers of children being taught in such a school.
This resembled a "scatter gun" approach to the provision of education, she maintained.
"Teacher provision should be based on pupil numbers and on the `disadvantage index' of a particular school and its catchment area," she said.