Update: Pupil-Teacher Ratio – Education and Science 27th November, 2014

Uimhir:178, 182

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she expects to
be in a position to improve the pupil-teacher ratio/class sizes at primary and
second level in the course of the coming year; and if she will make a statement
on the matter.
– Bernard J. Durkan.

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of extra teachers
likely to be employed at primary and second level schools throughout the
country; if particular attention is likely to be provided to regions under
pressure from population increase; and if she will make a statement on the
matter.
-Bernard J. Durkan.

* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 27th November, 2014.
Reference Number: 45720/14, 45724/14

Minister Jan O’Sullivan

I propose to take questions 178 and 182 together.

The Government’s approach to restoring the economy has helped Ireland to return
to a position where we are seeing economic growth. It is a continuing
improvement in our economic growth over a sustained period that will enable us
to move to a point where we can look again at providing for additional teacher
resources in schools which could bring about an improvement in PTR, class size
and support for classroom teachers. In the meantime, my Department’s focus is
on targeting any available resources to cater for the continued increase in
student numbers across primary, post-primary and third level. If in future
years there is funding available to reduce class sizes my preference is that it
would be targeted at reducing class sizes at the infant years.

We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the
difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised
education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown
in order to protect existing pupil teacher ratios. There were a thousand more
teachers employed in schools around the country in the last school year, than
there was the year before. There will be a further increase of circa 1,300
teachers in the current school year. This is a very significant investment at a
time of scarce resources.

The staffing arrangements for schools currently include the provision where
schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional
permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds. Such posts are provisionally
approved pending confirmation of actual enrolment on the following 30th
September.