I was brought up in an era where it was not unusual to have classes of 40 or more, and in some instances in one particular school, two classes were put together. But the teacher still retained control over his pupils. In one instance, where a teacher had no control over the class, even though he knew his subject extremely well, he only lasted one term.
The cry for smaller and smaller classes is just an indication of the laziness of our current band of teachers.
The cry for making teachers remuneration competitive with the private sector must take into consideration their lower working hours, the much higher level of holidays (compared to the private sector) and stricter accountability. I am not opposed to higher teacher remuneration, but only on a Quid Pro Quo basis. And, I agree, Principals should have the power to hire and fire.
