One in five primary pupils sit in classes of 30 or more [Independent.ie]
- Published: 02 September 2010
COMMUTER-belt children are bearing the brunt of a growth spurt in primary school class sizes.
More than one in five primary school children -- almost 107,000 pupils -- are now in classes of 30 or more.
This 21pc figure is up from 19pc a year ago, when 93,000 pupils were in large classes.
The overcrowding is worst in areas within striking distance of Dublin and other cities, which grew rapidly during the boom.
Co Carlow tops the list, with almost one in three of its primary pupils in classes of 30 or more, followed closely by Co Kilkenny.
At the other end of the scale are counties Tipperary, Kerry and Mayo, with the lowest proportion of pupils in big classes.
Class sizes have started to rise again as a result of teacher cutbacks announced by the Government in late 2008.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
