Primary school crisis – two out of every three Kilkenny kids in overcrowded classrooms

BY COLIN BARTLEY

TWO OUT of every three Kilkenny primary school children are being taught in overcrowded classrooms.

Class sizes in Kilkenny are some of the highest in the country with more than 67% of classes containing 25 pupils or more.

The statistics provided by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) show Irish classrooms are the second most overcrowded in Europe at 24.3 pupils per class, with just the UK recording higher figures.

The average class size across the EU is 20 and 21 pupils per class across the developed world.