As a semblance of normality returns to education surrounds, INTO president, Joe McKeown, a decade of neglect in primary and special schools exposed by the pandemic.
"The pandemic exposed a decade of neglect in primary and special schools and as we move to recover from Covid-19, it’s imperative we do better. Budget 2022 needs to deliver for primary education.
"Irish primary class sizes remain the largest in the European Union. Too many pupils still learn in a classroom of 30 or more pupils, with one in five pupils nationally learning in such crowded environments.
"At the height of the pandemic, Ireland was the only EU country that had to plan for social distancing in supersized classes of thirty or more. Research shows that smaller classes enable teachers to give adequate and necessary time to each child in the classroom, which has a positive impact on learning outcomes.
"As we move out of the pandemic, we need to invest in our primary schools as they play their role in the great national effort supporting their pupils, some of whom have sadly fallen behind," Mr McKeown asserted.
