asked the Minister for Education if he will state the pupil/teacher ratio in primary schools throughout the country; and what he considers an optimum ratio.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Pupil/Teacher Ratio.
34.
The average ratio of pupils per teacher in national schools for the school-year 1970-71 was 32. A ratio which would ensure that there would not be more than 35 pupils in any class would be considered satisfactory.
Would the Minister not agree that the ratio in primary schools in urban areas is far higher than that which obtains in rural areas and could he give an indication of the difference between the ratio in urban and rural areas?
I could not give that——
The Minister does not want to.
——unless I took every school in the country separately. I have given the average pupil/teacher ratio for the country generally and the ratio that I would like to see. We are doing our utmost to create a better pupil/teacher ratio. We are training far more teachers than ever before. We are accepting English trained teachers, subject to their passing an Irish examination. We are endeavouring to make more teachers available through the amalgamation of small schools. We are taking in mature students. We are doing everything we possibly can to improve the ratio.
Would the Minister not accept that by his own admission the position is serious in urban areas such as Dublin where I understand 77 per cent of primary classes are in excess of a 40 to 1 ratio and that it is a very serious matter and requires a crash course in relation to school classes?
I have pointed out that we are taking exceptional measures to deal with the situation in the built-up areas.