Over 20,000 Children In Overcrowded Classrooms In Dublin, More Than 91,000 Children In Class Sizes Above Average
Dublin Bay South By-Election Candidate Mairéad Tóibín has highlighted that more than 20,000 Dublin school children are being educated in overcrowded classrooms.
Ms Tóibín: “Figures obtained by Aontú show that nearly 21,000 Dublin school receive their lessons in classrooms of 30 plus children. 15% of children are in 'overcrowded classrooms', that's 30+ students per room. 65% of students (91485 students) that are in classrooms that exceed best practice education guidelines of 24 students (70570 + 20771 + 142). This figure is 5% above the national average of 60%.. Class sizes directly correlate to improved educational outcomes for children, and allow attention to be paid to the particular needs of individual children. In the figures I have obtained, covering the area from Ringsend to Ranelagh, overcrowding is a real concern. This overcrowding and under-resourcing of our educational sector has a direct educational cost for our children. It is a damning indictment of the complacency that has set in around our educational system. No child should be held back by our education system.”
“To put this in context, just look at how we compare to Europe. The average class size in the EU is 20, however in Ireland it is 24. Two-thirds of Dublin schoolchildren are in classes which exceed the national average. Over 91,000 children receive their education in classrooms above the national average size; and over 124,000 children are taught in above EU average sized classrooms. It is quite clear the government have failed our children.”
