This article is from page 4 of the 2007-03-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
HALF of Clare’s primary school children are in overcrowded class- rooms.
As many as 71 per cent of pupils in the greater Ennis and Shannon area are being taught in classes larger than the approved number.
Declan Kelleher, the INTO District Representative, released the figures for the first time at a public meeting on the class-size situation. He stated that 36.3 per cent of primary pupils
in the two areas were in classes of 30 to 34.
Seven per cent were in classes of 35 and some 27.4 per cent were in classes of up to 29 pupils.
“This was a clear indictment of how primary education resourc- ing has been neglected for so long by so many governments,” said Mr Kelleher. “Outside of the Ennis and Shannon areas, there were also plenty of examples of large classes and, in many instances, pupils were in smaller schools in multi-classes,
where not alone is the pupil trying to cope with an overcrowded class- room, but she or he is also trying to cope with two, three or even four dif- ferent classes within the same class- room,” he added.
“The overall primary system re- mains the least funded of all sec- tors within education, with primary class size 1n Ireland being the second worst in the entire EU.”
“The Department of Children are currently examining a proposal to introduce after-school care into pri-
mary schools but at a ratio of one adult supervisor to 15 pupils. How come it is acceptable, therefore, to have the child in an overcrowded class of 30 pupils during the school CF haan t(omr- 0s) .Co16
Sean McMahon, Principal of Mul- lagh National School and incoming INTO executive representative for Clare, said there were hundreds of pupils in overcrowded classrooms in west and north Clare and these schools also had full-time teaching principals.
Class size is both an urban and rural issue according to the teachers and parents who attended the meeting in the Oakwood Arms in Shannon on Thursday. Principal of Bansha Na- tional School, Martina Sexton, told the meeting that her school had 54 pupils, with just two teachers look- ing after all eight classes.
The Department of Education and Science had turned down their ap- peal for an additional teacher.
In many instances highlighted, there were pupils with special education needs in overcrowded classrooms, or rooms with multiple classes, who frequently required one-on-one at- Kone te
Pupils whose first language was not English also have to cope with the large class sizes.