Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 549: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the annual cost of reducing the pupil teacher ratio to 15:1 in all primary schools. [31155/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As the Deputy will be aware, the pupil:teacher ratio counts all the teachers in our schools – not only those employed as mainstream classroom teachers, but also those working in areas such as resource teaching and language support.

There are now in the region of 5,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. The estimated annual value of additional expenditure on these posts is in the region of €300 million. As a result of the appointment of so many extra teachers, the pupil:teacher ratio had been reduced to 16.4:1 by the last school year. Figures for the current school year are not yet available. When they are available, it will be possible to estimate how many extra teachers it would take to reduce the pupil:teacher ratio to 15:1.

Arthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 550: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the annual cost of reducing all class sizes for children under nine years of age to a maximum of 20 pupils. [31156/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It is difficult to predict the number of additional posts that will be created because of demographic changes and the uncertainty as to how any increases in enrolment will be spread over individual schools.

Schools have flexibility in the way in which they assign pupils and teachers to classes and the Department does not allocate teachers to specific classes or age groups. However, on the basis of current enrolments, it is estimated that in the order of 2,900 additional mainstream teaching posts would be required to reduce class sizes to under 20 pupils for children under 9 at an estimated salary cost of €174million.

Statistics are not compiled on an age basis. It is therefore assumed, for the purpose of providing the information sought by the Deputy, that all of the pupils in junior classes (junior infants to second class inclusive) are under 9 years of age.

Provision of accommodation to cater for these additional teachers would cost in the order of €360m.

This does not include provision for the additional costs which would arise if teacher numbers increased in terms of services and training for the additional teachers in the system. This would include the cost of additional inspectors required to carry out inspections (including probation), additional teacher training places required in the teacher education colleges, provision of additional inservice training and the additional administrative costs for the Department of Education and Science associated with processing payment of salary, pension etc for extra teachers. Neither does it include the additional costs on the capital side in terms of ongoing maintenance of any additional classroom accommodation provided. The salary cost given does not include provision for the necessary pension costs which would increase the salary cost by approximately 25%-30% per annum.