Can Ireland achieve a 19:1 student-teacher ratio in primary schools? This is a question being hotly debated as a new Government program sets this ambitious goal. School principals, however, express concerns about the feasibility of this target, citing a severe shortage of teachers and a lack of space in many schools, especially urban ones.
A new program for Government was released yesterday, outlining an ambition to improve the student-to-teacher ratio in primary schools, aiming to reduce it to 19:1. However, this goal faces significant challenges, with a nationwide shortage of teachers and limited physical space in many schools. Conor Reilly, principal of Scoil Aine Naofa in Lucan, expressed concerns about the feasibility of achieving such a ratio under the current circumstances.
He highlighted the lack of space in urban schools, emphasizing that buildings are simply not large enough to accommodate the necessary number of teachers for a 19:1 ratio. Reilly explained that his school, while fortunate to be close to Maynooth University and able to tap into student teachers, faces an uphill battle. He pointed out that larger urban schools, especially those located in areas like Rathfarnham, struggle to recruit and retain teachers. He noted that despite yearly budget commitments to reducing the pupil-teacher ratio, urban schools in Dublin continue to operate at a 28:1 ratio. The influx of new residents, Reilly added, further exacerbates the situation by leading to increased class sizes throughout the school year. He stressed the urgent need for solutions such as building larger schools, providing extensions to existing facilities, or constructing new schools. He lamented that despite ongoing efforts, there has been no tangible progress in addressing the space shortage in his school, where a building project has been underway for two decades
STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO PRIMARY SCHOOLS TEACHER SHORTAGE SCHOOL SPACE IRELAND
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