Clare’s Sinn Féin TD has called on the Minister for Education to urgently tackle large class sizes, as figures released to the party show there are over 2,500 classes across the country with over 30 kids.
Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne said: “The pandemic has shone a light on the fact that our education system is underfunded, understaffed and overcrowded. Overcrowding in classrooms is a huge problem.
“Figures provided to Sinn Féin via a recent Parliamentary Question show that there were over 2,500 classes across the country with over 30 kids last year, with 74 of those classes in Clare. The average class size in Clare in 2020 was 22.1, above the EU average of 20.
The reality is, that keeping school buildings open in the last year was made much more difficult because we have some of the highest class sizes in Europe. There are countless classes that are far too big, in buildings too small, and not fit for purpose. In Clare, for example, there was a shocking 36 kids sharing one classroom last year. These children’s quality of education is being compromised,” Deputy Wynne said.
“Let’s be clear, this is not the issue of the schools themselves, nor the teachers who are highly skilled and doing their utmost best to deal with the class situations they are designated. But there is a need for a top-down Department mandated move towards achieving the EU standard of 20 children per classroom. At present both staff and students are placed under undue pressure. Our teachers deserve better and our children deserve better.
The first step in ensuring that educational standards and safety protocols are maintained, is by drastically reducing class sizes down to the EU average of 20,” she said.
“If there ever was a time to tackle this issue, surely it is now. I have been raising the issues faced by once particular school in my constituency, namely Ennis Educate Together School which has been consistently denied adequate resourcing and funding from successive governments. The school is in urgent need of additional supports, and I’m sure it is not the only school in the county of which that can be said.
The government must immediately undertake an audit of class sizes across the country, and work to address this issue sooner rather than later, so that schools can remain open in a safe and sustainable way in the coming months,” Ms Wynne concluded.