39 students in one Westmeath classroom - Guirke calls for urgent action on overcrowding

(Above) Deputy Johnny Guirke.

Deputy Johnny Guirke has called on the Minister for Education to urgently tackle large class sizes, as figures released to Sinn Féin show there are over 2,500 classes across the country with over 30 kids, including one class in Westmeath with 39 children.

"The pandemic has shone a light on the fact that our education system is underfunded, understaffed and overcrowded. It is clear that 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 222 of those classes in Meath (157) and Westmeath (65). The average class size in Meath in 2020 was 25 and Westmeath was 23, both 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 Westmeath, for example, there was a shocking 39 kids sharing one classroom last year, and in Meath there was 37 kids on one classroom.

"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.

"If there ever was a time to tackle this issue, surely it is now.

"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," Deputy Guirke said.