12 September, 2006 - Ireland continuing to perform well - Minister Hanafin OECD publishes Education at a Glance

The Minister for Education and Science Mary Hanafin, T.D., today  welcomed the publication from the OECD of Education at a Glance 2006 (EAG) which provides information and data on key areas of Ireland's education system in comparison with various countries based on data from 2003/04.
 
Minister Hanafin said "the publication shows Ireland continuing to perform strongly in many areas.  Educational outcomes, in particular completion and performance at second and third levels, means Ireland's talented pupils and future workforce is well placed to compete internationally.
 
With increased expenditure continuing at all levels and additional teaching resources being implemented in our schools we can expect that there will be further improvements in our international comparative position into the future."

Minister Hanafin emphasised that as the report draws on 2003 data in most instances, significant advances in Ireland's performance on a number of fronts over the last three years is not reflected in this report.  For example, total expenditure by the Department of Education and Science has increased from 4.9% to 5.2% of national income (Gross National Income) between 2003 and 2005 arising from a 23% increase in overall spending.  Furthermore, it is estimated that per student current expenditure has increased in real terms by 16% at primary and 11% second level.  At primary level the pupil-teacher ratio has continued to fall with a further decrease from 17.1 in 2003 to 16.6 in 2005 (based on all teachers including principals).

Minister Hanafin concluded "what is very clear from the latest information available is that resources have increased dramatically in the past five years.  However, it is too simplistic to just say that increasing spending will result in better outcomes as evidenced by the fact that certain countries with a greater percentage of GDP spend on education do not have better educational outcomes.  What we all wish to see is the resources targeted towards education being used to best advantage at all levels.

The report provides further evidence of the hard work and dedication of all the partners in Irish education who see the value of our education system on a daily basis for the students they serve."
 
Some of the key results which emerge from EAG are:

  • Spending has increased across all levels.  Since 1995, in real terms total public spending has increased   here by  57% at primary and second level and has doubled at third level.  The corresponding OECD averages are 34% and 46%.
  •  Educational attainment is high for younger age-groups with 79% of 25-34 year olds in Ireland completing upper secondary education compared to 77% across the OECD.  Completion of third level is particularly good with 20% and 37% completing non-degree and degree programmes here.  The corresponding OECD averages are 9% and 35%.
  • Educational achievement which measures how well students perform in Maths, Science and Reading shows that Irish students at age 15 are well above average in Reading and about average in Maths and Science when compared internationally.
  • Graduation at third level is particularly good with 20% and 37% completing non-degree and degree programmes here in 2004.  The corresponding OECD averages are 9% and 35%. Drop-out at third level is lower here than in most OECD countries.  An estimated 69% and 83% of new entrants to non-degree and degree courses successfully complete their programmes compared to, respectively, 6% and 70% on average across the OECD.
  • The pupil-teacher ratio at primary level continued to fall from 21.5 to 18.3 between 1999 and 2003.  At second level   PTR fell from 15.9 to 14.3 in the same period.
  • As in previous years, the data show a high premium to workers with third level qualifications. Also, women with third level qualifications are much more likely to be employed in the labour market than other women in Ireland. The employment gap between women with primary and tertiary attainment is one of the highest of any OECD country.

ENDS