Primary school enrolment numbers in Ireland are set to climb significantly over the next decade.

This is according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which projected an increase of up to 100,000 pupils by 2021 and represents a 20 per cent rise on 2011's numbers.

Over this period, it is anticipated that the number of five to 12-year-olds in the country will escalate from around 500,000 to 600,000, with reasonable stability expected between 2021 and 2026.

At second-level, a  31 to 34 per cent climb in enrolment numbers is forecast between 2011 and 2021, with a peak set to be reached between 2021 and 2026. 

Deirdre Cullen, senior statistician of the CSO - established in 1949 as Ireland's national statistics office - said: "By making assumptions about future trends in migration and fertility we can project the population forward and examine the possible outcomes for, say, the school-going population." 

Written by Donal Walsh

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