7. Level of Qualification of second level school leavers
7.1 : Certified assessment at the end of general lower secondary education or full-time compulsory education, 2002/03
Ireland is the only country to rely completely on final exams to certify assessment at the end of lower second-level education. Countries like Spain, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland and most Länder in Germany, award such certificates on the basis of the pupils' marks and work over the year.
|
|
BE |
CZ |
DK |
DE |
EE |
GR |
ES |
FR |
IE |
IT |
CY |
LV |
LT |
LU |
HU |
MT |
NL |
AT |
PL |
PT |
SI |
SK |
FI |
SE |
UK |
IS |
NO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT. A | Y | Y | Y | Y | : | Y | Y | ||||||||||||||||||||
| CAT. B | Y | Y | : | Y | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAT. C | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | : | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||||
| CAT. D | Y | : | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAT. E | Y | : | Y |
CATEGORY A - Final grade based only on the marks and the work over the year
CATEGORY B - Final grade based on work over the year and an internal final examination
CATEGORY C - Final grade combining internal assessment and an external (or externally verified) final examination
CATEGORY D - Final grade based only on an external final examination
CATEGORY E - No Certificate awarded
Source: Eurydice, Key Data on Education in Europe 2005 (Figure E27).
7.2 : Certified Assessment at the end of general upper second-level education, 2002/03
Ireland relies more heavily on final exams to certify assessment at the end of upper second-level education than most other countries. Countries like Spain and Sweden award school-leaving certificates on the basis of the pupils' marks and work during the year of over several years.
|
BE |
CZ |
DK |
DE |
EE |
GR |
ES |
FR |
IE |
IT |
CY |
LV |
LT |
LU |
HU |
MT |
NL |
AT |
PL |
PT |
SI |
SK |
FI |
SE |
UK |
IS |
NO |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAT. A | Y | : | Y | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAT. B | Y | Y | Y | : | Y | Y | Y | ||||||||||||||||||||
| CAT. C | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | : | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||||||||
| CAT. D | Y | Y | : | Y |
A - Final grade based only on marks and work during the year or over several years
B - Final grade based on work over the year and an internal final examination
C - Final grade combining internal assessment and an external (or externally verified) final exam
D - Final grade based only on an external final examination
Source: Eurydice, Key Data on Education in Europe 2005 (Figure E28).
7.3 - Percentage of the population in Ireland aged 18-24 with at most lower secondary education and not in education or training by sex, 1996-2006
|
|
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 23.5 | 22.6 | : | : | : | : | 18.4 | 15 | 16.1 | 14.5 | 15.6 |
| Females | 14.2 | 15.1 | : | : | : | : | 10.9 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 9 |
Note:
Ireland: before 1998, further education & training was related only to education and training which was relevant for the current or possible future job of the respondent. In addition, data for Ireland are not strictly comparable between 2003 and earlier years as modifications to the questionnaire in 2003 increased capture of information on receipt of education in the four weeks prior to the survey.
Source: CSO, Quarterly National Household Survey
7.4 Percentage of population aged 18 - 24 with at most lower secondary education and not in education or training, 2006
Reducing the numbers of early school leavers is one of the European Union's foremost priorities. Encouraging young people to participate in post-compulsory education is vital for their social and labour-market integration, since those who leave school without qualifications are in danger of being left behind in today’s increasingly competitive society. The EU average is 15.7 percent (2006), while the figure for Ireland is 12.9 percent. However, both figures are still in excess of the 10% EU benchmark rate.
|
2006 |
|
|---|---|
| EU AVERAGE | 15.1% |
| IRELAND | 12.3% |
| EU Benchmark 2010 | 10.0% |
Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey
7.5 Percentage of the population aged 18-24 with at most lower secondary education and not in education or training (early school leavers), by sex, 2006.
|
EU25 |
IE |
CZ |
SI |
PL |
SK |
NO |
AT |
FI |
DK |
LT |
SE |
DE |
HU |
UK |
BE |
FR |
NL |
EE |
GR |
LU |
LV |
CY |
IT |
IS |
ES |
MT |
PT |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females | 12.8 | 9.0 | 5.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 9.8 | 6.4 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 10.7 | 13.6 | 10.7 | 11.4 | 10.2 | 11.2 | 10.7 | : | 11.0 | 14.0 | 16.1 | 9.2 | 17.3 | 22.0 | 23.8 | 38.8 | 31.8 |
| Males | 17.4 | 15.6 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 9.3 | 10.4 | 12.8 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.9 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.9 | 15.1 | 15.1 | 19.6 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 21.6 | 23.5 | 24.3 | 30.5 | 35.8 | 44.6 | 46.4 |
Estonia and Slovenia: Unreliable or uncertain data
Cyprus: The reference population (denominator) excludes students abroad.
The EU aggregates are provided using the closest available year result in case of missing country data.
Source: Eurostat - Labour Force Survey
7.6 Rate of Retention at Second Level in Ireland, 1965 - 2005
|
Year of completion |
1965 |
1970 |
1975 |
1980 |
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
2000 |
2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage | 20 | 33 | 47 | 52 | 64 | 70 | 76 | 78 | 80 |
Note:
The rate of retention at second level corresponds to the estimated percentage of entrants to Junior Cycle in a given year who complete second level in a publicly aided school with a Leaving Certificate (including Leaving Certificate Applied).
Source: Department of Education and Science.
7.7 Retention Rate to Leaving Certificate by sector
|
Sector of Provision |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary | 83.6 | 84.0 | 83.9 | 83.4 | 83.0 | 82.4 |
| Vocational | 61.5 | 64.2 | 64.4 | 65.9 | 67.3 | 67.6 |
| Community and Comprehensive | 74.2 | 73.7 | 74.2 | 75.8 | 75.9 | 76.1 |
| National Average | 77.1 | 78.0 | 78.1 | 78.3 | 78.0 | 77.8 |
Explanatory note
Data are based on a detailed analysis of the records of pupils in the Department’s Post-Primary Pupils Database (PPPDB). This gives the Department the capacity to track pupils at various stages through the second-level system. Taken together with the exams data it provides a comprehensive picture of a pupil’s movement through second-level education. The methodology employed takes the cohort of entrants to the first year of the Junior Cycle and tracks this cohort through each subsequent year of their participation in State aided second-level schools. Data do not take account of important educational pathways outside the school system such as Youthreach and apprenticeship training and, in effect, pupils leaving school to undertake these programmes are treated as early school leavers for the purposes of this analysis. It is also important to note that the analysis does not enable the tracking of those who leave State-aided schools including publicly funded fee-paying schools and move to non-aided education providers.
Source: Department of Education & Science, 'Retention Rates of Pupils in Second-Level Schools: 1996 Cohort', October 2005
7.8 Trend in the level of qualification of second-level school leavers 1980-2002
| Long-term trends in Levels of Educational Attainment 1980-2002 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000* | 2004 | |
No Qualifications |
9.0 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 |
| Junior Certificate | 31.1 | 25.6 | 23.3 | 15.1 | 15.2 | 15.3 | 14.5 |
| Leaving Certificate | 59.9 | 66.9 | 69.5 | 79.4 | 80.8 | 81.6 | 81.9 |
| * 1999 | |||||||
| Long-term trends in Levels of Educational Attainment 1980-2002 | |||||||
| 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000* | 2004 | |
| No Qualifications | 9.0% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 5.5% | 4.0% | 3.1% | 3.7% |
| Junior Certificate | 31.1% | 25.6% | 23.3% | 15.1% | 15.2% | 15.3% | 14.5% |
| Leaving Certificate | 59.9% | 66.9% | 69.5% | 79.4% | 80.8% | 81.6% | 81.9% |
Source: ESRI School Leavers' Surveys.
7.9 School Leavers in Ireland by level of educational attainment and SES background, 2001.
|
Socio-Economic Status of Father |
No Qualifications |
Junior Cert. Only |
Leaving Certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher/ Lower professional | 0% | 4% | 96.2% |
| Self-employed, managers/ salaried employees | 1% | 9% | 90.6% |
| Farmers/ Other agric. | 1% | 10% | 88.4% |
| Intermediate/other non-manual | 3% | 16% | 80.8% |
| Skilled/semi-skilled/unskilled manual | 4% | 18% | 78.1% |
| Total | 3.1% | 14.2% | 82.7% |
| Est. No. in category | 2,238 | 10,119 | 58,888 |
Source: ESRI 2002 Annual School Leavers' Survey
7.10 Percentage of population aged 20-24 that has completed at least Upper Secondary Education (2004)
Completing upper-secondary education (Leaving Certificate or equivalent) is increasingly important not just for successful entry into the labour market, but also to allow students access to the learning and training opportunities offered by higher education. The present level for the EU is 76.7% while that for Ireland is 85.3%, just above the EU Benchmark (or target) for 2010 of 85%.
|
2004 |
|
|---|---|
| EU AVERAGE | 76.7% |
| IRELAND | 85.3% |
| EU Benchmark 2010 (for 22 year-olds) | 85.0% |
Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey.
7.11 Percentage of population aged 20 to 24 having completed at least upper second-level education, 2004
|
EU25 |
BE |
CZ |
DK |
DE |
EE |
GR |
ES |
FR |
IE |
IT |
CY |
LV |
LT |
LU* |
HU |
MT |
NL |
AT |
PL |
PT |
SI |
SK |
FI |
SE |
UK |
IS |
NO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76.7 | 82.1 | 90.9 | 76.1 | 72.8 | 82.3 | 81.9 | 61.8 | 79.8 | 85.3 | 72.9 | 80.1 | 76.9 | 86.1 | 69.8 | 83.4 | 47.9 | 74.5 | 85.3 | 89.5 | 49 | 89.7 | 91.3 | 84.6 | 86.3 | 76.4 | 53.9 | 95.3 |
Note
Luxembourg: 2003 data
Source: Eurostat, Labour Force Survey.