Over half the pupils in nine west Dublin schools are in classes of over 30 children representing some of the largest class sizes in the country, according to figures released by the Department of Education.
Some 89 classes out of 155 surveyed in Dublin 15 have more than 30 pupils according to figures supplied by the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin, to Dublin West TD Joan Burton during parliamentary questions last week.
"This means that some 57 per cent of pupils in these schools are in super-sized classes," said Deputy Burton.
The area of Dublin 15 has grown rapidly over the last decade with the addition of over 8,000 houses and is expected to accelerate further with between 10,000 and 20,000 units proposed for construction in the imminent future.
Yet despite the huge influx of new families and the rising population, schools such as St Ciaran's National School in Hartstown has 19 classes with more than 30 pupils and has recently refused over 20 children who applied for places next September.
Problems of overcrowding and lack of space resulted in the school recently advising parents that they could only take children in September who were four or over by December 31st, 2005.
"This is a damning indictment of the failure of the Minister for Education who must take responsibility for the huge distress being caused to excellent teachers, parents and the whole community."
She reasoned that future generations of children are now "condemned" to learning in overcrowded classrooms in Castleknock, Blanchardstown, Huntstown, Hartstown and Clonee because of the Department of Education's strategy of putting pressure on schools to increase to four streams or 32 classrooms catering for 1,000 pupils.
Last month the Minister for Education Mary Hanafin announced that Castaheaney Educate Together school would take an additional class of junior infants this September and agreed to grant recognition to a new primary school for the area with effect from September.
She said at the time: "The greater-than-anticipated population change in the area means we cannot wait, and therefore I am taking the exceptional measure of recognising a new school." Deputy Burton contended that while schools were traditionally built on between five and 10 acres of land, schools are now being built on sites of just 2½ acres which provide for small classrooms on a small space and fail to meet the "crisis" of overcrowding and demand for schools places.
She concluded that an assessment of housing and population trends for the next five to 10 years should be undertaken, in addition to immediately purchasing new sites and calling a "round table conference" of all schools principals, council and education officials.