INTO Says Social Distancing Impossible In Cramped Classrooms
The primary school teachers union today voted in favour of a motion calling for class sizes to be reduced to European averages
In a survey of almost 2,500 teachers, 63 per cent said they want to teach smaller classes.
Proposals in the last budget will see the number of students per classroom capped at 25 per teacher, however the INTO has voted to further reduce that number to 20.
The INTO, TUI and ASTI will also vote on a joint ballot to demand vaccines for their members tomorrow.
Speaking to RedFM News, deputy principal of Star of the Sea national school in Passage West says Ireland's classrooms are among the most overcrowded in Europe:
"“I actually spoke on this motion this morning at Congress and pointed out that, in Italy, the pupil-teacher ratio in primary school is about 19:1 and in Greece it's about 17:1. Now these are countries that rank way below Ireland in terms of GDP, or any economic indicators like that, and yet, they find the means to have a class size. In the modern day curriculum, it is interaction with pupils - pupils need attention [that counts].”
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