No major research has ever been carried out in this State on how children fare in small primary schools, although a recommendation for such a study was made within the Department of Education last year.
Five one-teacher schools closed last year, leaving a total of 21 such schools open during this academic year, with between five and 11 pupils.
There are common-sense arguments as to why it might not be a good idea to have children taught by one teacher for eight years.
Apart from educational considerations, what happens if the teacher is sick, or if a child becomes ill and parents cannot be contacted?
From a socialisation point of view, many parents would prefer a greater mix of children.
But there are equally compelling arguments for not loading four-year-olds in the country on to school buses early in the morning to be taken to the nearest town or village. The school's role in building a sense of community in rural areas also has to be considered.
Research has been done on school size in other countries, but the definition of a small school can be vary. In Britain, for example, a school is termed small if there are fewer than 80 pupils, and once enrolment falls below 20 it is closed. Because of greater resources, there would always be two or more teachers and other adults to provide back-up.
The new primary school curriculum is cited as one reason a teacher should not be left to run a school single-handed. There is more emphasis on such subjects as music, art, physical education and computers.
In larger schools teachers with a particular talent or interest can share expertise and responsibilities.
There is also a question of resources. A small school is unlikely, for example, to be able to afford the same kind of PE equipment.
Jim Deegan, the acting head of the education department at Mary Immaculate Teacher Training College in Limerick, said he believed small schools deserved special assistance. It would be preferable to have a minimum of two teachers, or at least a trained classroom assistant to help the teacher.
"These schools are the heart and soul of the community, and the issue is do we as a society still value that idea of community," Mr Deegan said.
Many small schools tended to be either in depopulated rural areas or were of a minority religion, and there were therefore social reasons for supporting them. Pupils were taught in "a family context", with older children helping younger ones, and bullying was less likely, he said.
It would be preferable for children to encounter more than one teacher in their primary education, but this had to be weighed against the wishes of parents who had chosen this kind of education.
It would be an onerous task for one person to cover the entire curriculum, and this was why there should always be a second trained person present. Teachers also needed to be able to attend in-service courses. "The concept of one person running the show is not really viable," he said.
The INTO vice-president, Mr Gerry Malone, who teaches in a four-teacher school in Co Louth, said once numbers fell below 10 it would not be "class teaching as we know it, but more individual attention".
When he was minister for education, Micheal Martin promised to bring the threshold to qualify for a second teacher down from 12 to 10, but this has not yet happened and is not expected next year.
Negotiations this year brought down the thresholds for three- and four-teacher schools. For example, the number required to retain or appoint a third teacher was reduced from 56 to 50.