The Department of Education has indicated that up to 260 new classrooms for Dublin alone will be required by 2015, as the number of student enrolments continues to increase.

With the help of the new Geographical Information System (GIS), the department is using population trend data to determine which areas will have the highest numbers of new enrolments between now and 2020.

Figures show Swords will need another 48 classrooms in the next six years, while Blanchardstown will need another 102 classrooms.

A spokesman for the department has said there is good news for current graduate teachers, with "hundreds of jobs" expected to be created over the next six years in line with the growing post-primary and primary demand.

Speaking last Wednesday, education minister Batt O'Keeffe said, "We are using state-of-the-art mapping technology to predict the number of extra pupils in high-growth areas around the country and the number of classrooms that will be needed to accommodate them. Primary school numbers will grow from 498,194 this year to more than 590,000 by 2020. The projections for post-primary show an increase from about 339,000 students now to over 407,000 by 2020."

Only eight new schools will open next year. Meanwhile, the future of smaller schools has been called into question. O'Keeffe has said his department is looking at the practicality of some small rural schools. Figures provided by the department show that around 650 of the 3,200 primary schools in the country have fewer than 50 pupils.