The size of Irish school classes has long been a heavy stick used by teachers and parents to beat successive Ministers for Education. Despite huge increases in education spending this decade, the OECD figures have continued to tell a sorry story about Irish pupil-teacher ratios and class sizes, with Ireland in the same category for primary education as much less developed countries like Turkey, Mexico and Korea.
According to the Department of Education's own figures, out of the 460,000 children in primary schools, 190,000 (44 per cent) are in classes with more than 30 pupils, 52,000 in classes with more than 35 pupils - the Department's present guideline figure for maximum class size - and 2,000 in classes with more than 40 pupils.
When the INTO emphasised reductions in class sizes as a central demand in its campaign last year to increase both funding and staffing for primary schools, it was a popular rallying call for all the partners in education.
Meetings up and down the state heard teachers, parents and managers unite to demand immediate action. The INTO's demand was a relatively modest one: that classes should be reduced to a maximum of 30 pupils by reducing the average class size by one pupil per year over the next five years.
In September the union started a series of one-day stoppages in pursuit of a number of demands, including increases in the capitation grant for running schools and reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. In October there was a public clash between the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, and INTO leader Senator Joe O'Toole, as the former responded negatively to the sheer range of the union's demands.
However, behind the scenes serious negotiations were going on. In November the INTO announced that it was suspending its industrial action. In December the Minister announced a £57 million package to deal with educational disadvantage which included the appointment of 225 new primary teachers, many of whom would go into remedial teaching and home-school liaison.
For much of the past year Department officials have been studying the complex system of annual allocations of teachers to primary schools, which allows for the redeployment of teachers in schools with falling enrolments.
Finally, in the last month, Mr Martin was able to bring yesterday's proposal to the cabinet. It went a good deal further than the INTO's demand, aiming to cut class sizes by next September to a "maximum class average" of 30. Department sources say this means that the first priority will be to reduce all classes to below 35. However, primary principals can bring all their classes down to 30 if that is the way they want to use the extra teaching resources on offer.
Alternatively, an extra teacher can be used to split a particularly large class, even if that means another class will remain marginally over the 30 limit.
Next September 150 additional teachers will be taken on. This will bring to nearly 600 the number of new or redeployed teaching posts in primary schools provided for next year. Added to the 150 announced yesterday will be the 225 teachers to tackle educational disadvantage, plus those released by the "demographic dividend" - teachers surplus to requirements because of falling enrolments, who are redeployed either in their own schools or elsewhere. Both the Catholic Primary School Managers' Association and the National Parents Council (Primary) have asked where these new teachers are to come from, given that there is already a shortage of substitute teachers. Department sources said yesterday they were confident the substitute shortage would be overcome in the next school year, partly from the extra numbers undergoing teacher training and those doing the 18-month graduate "conversion" course.
Mr Martin has become known both for his closeness to the Taoiseach and his ability to get money for education in Cabinet horse trading. As Mr O'Toole says: "The real test of this Minister for Education was whether he could hammer the Cabinet table and produce extra funding for teachers. "That's what he's done with this announcement. This is the first real increase in primary teacher numbers for 14 years."