Over 47,000 school children are being taught in classes of over 30 pupils, according to new INTO figures. A further 72,000 are learning in classes of over 25 pupils.
The figures underline how the Republic has one of the highest pupil/teacher ratios in the OECD.
Yesterday the INTO vowed to make reductions in class size the centrepiece of its campaign for the forthcoming local and European elections, after the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, ruled out any improvement in the pupil/teacher ratio.
Ms Catherine Byrne, INTO general treasurer, said the union would lobby the Government to deliver on the commitments made in its Programme for Government. The programme promised continued reductions in class size with average class sizes for the under-nines equal to best international standards.
She said the union would tap into the widespread fury among parents about overcrowded classrooms. The union was putting the Government on notice that it intended to make this a key issue for the elections. She said the failure to reduce class size sat uneasily with Mr Dempsey's commitment to educational disadvantage. On many occasions, it was these students who were losing out in classes of up to 34 pupils.
Mr Declan Kelleher (INTO executive) said information on the INTO campaign called "Your Local School" would be distributed in schools and to parent and management bodies. "With every parent and every primary teacher on board, we will make this Government and the public aware of the false promises made by the Government on this issue."
He said the campaign would expose "the hollowness of having a glossy new child-centred curriculum and yet forces the same child to queue at number 31 or 32 for the teacher's attention". The principal of a four-teacher school in Clare, he said there were 32 pupils in his senior infants class. How could this situation be justified? he asked.
Mr Liam O'Connor (Dublin North Central) said the average class size in the Republic compared poorly with other EU states. He said the countries like Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland already enjoy lower class sizes than the Republic.
Many teachers were struggling to cope with very large classes. "We have an expanding curriculum. We have an increasing number of pupils with emotional and social needs. We have more pupils with behavioural problems, which cause difficulties with discipline in the class. We are trying to integrate pupils from different ethnic backgrounds. But the current overcrowded classes are not fair to either pupil or teacher," he said.
Ms Máire Ní Chuinneagán (Galway) said the OECD average class size was 24.5 in primary schools. Smaller classes were the key to educational success. They allow teachers to ensure that pupils realise their potential.
On pay, the INTO general secretary, Mr John Carr, ruled out any pay pause in the final phase of the national pay deal, currently being negotiated by the social partners. Public servants have already accepted a six-month pause in the first phase of the Sustaining Progress deal.
The union is particularly exercised about principal teachers, who did not receive the same allowances as their second-level counterparts in the benchmarking deal. Mr Carr declared: "Let me stress that pay and conditions are and will always be top of the INTO agenda."
In relation to the next pay round, the union was demanding fair and equitable pay increases based on anticipated inflation levels and productivity growth over the next 18 months.
