Global group’s review of Irish education provides upbeat snapshot

Like a school principal handing out a clutch of mixed grades, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) unveiled the results of its annual Education at a Glance report on Tuesday.

The study provides a snapshot of how education systems across the developed world are performing across a number of indicators. So, how did Ireland do?

Funding

The Government is regularly accused of funding the education system on a shoestring. On Tuesday, for example, primary school managers warned that financial shortages were reaching crisis levels.

So, is the system really so short-changed?

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When education spending is viewed as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) spending, Ireland ranks last in a league table of 38 countries. (We spent 3.2 per cent of our GDP on education in 2020 compared to an average of almost 5 per cent for OECD countries).

It seems shameful for a country that places such pride in its education system, but the headline figure is misleading.

“This could be linked to Ireland’s GDP being inflated by the large number of tech companies which have their legal headquarters in Ireland for tax purposes,” the report notes.

A very different picture emerges when education spending is measured as a proportion of overall State expenditure in 2020. This shows Ireland allocated 12 per cent on education, above the OECD average of 10 per cent, and in advance of most of our near neighbours.

It hasn’t stopped those lobbying for greater education funding from clutching the statistics as a sign of large underinvestment, of course.

In fact, it may even suit Minister for Education Norma Foley as she elbows her way across the Cabinet table seeking additional funding in the run-up to the budget.

Another encouraging indicator is that spending trends are heading in the right direction after funding for the sector was cut in the austerity era.

Investment in education increased in Ireland at a faster rate during the Covid pandemic than most other countries as we shifted to remote learning and making schools safer settings.

While education expenditure across the OECD grew by 0.4 per cent between 2019 and 2020, in Ireland it jumped by 7 per cent.

There is no doubt schools remain underfunded. Voluntary contributions and fundraisers are just one sign of that. However, the official data indicates the scale of underinvestment is not quite so bad in international terms, at least.

Salaries

Are teachers paid enough? The number of teachers emigrating to the Middle East and beyond is taken as a sign that teachers are not paid enough, or, at least, cannot afford to rent or buy a home.

The OECD study states that teachers’ salaries — which it measures in dollars, and adjusts for purchasing power — were higher in Ireland on average than across most developed countries.

On average, it found salaries in Ireland for secondary teachers ($60,112) [€56,191] were above the OECD average ($53,119).

However, more countries seem to have either caught up or overtaken Ireland. Salaries were higher in Australia ($63,215), the US ($66,438), Denmark ($74,654), the Netherlands ($79,580), Austria ($79,846) and Germany ($95,077).

Ireland is also below both the EU and OECD country averages for new teachers’ pay. In addition, as the Teachers’ Union of Ireland has noted, salaries are based on an assumption that Irish teachers commence on “full” jobs, which is often not the case at second level.

Students

There is good news on outcomes for students. Ireland, it says, has one of the highest school completion rates, or students finishing second-level education.

While across the OECD an average of 14 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds left education without finishing school, the rate fell to 5 per cent here. Ireland is one of a small number, it notes, with “near universal” school completion.

These high education rates may also be contributing to relatively low proportions of young people who are not in education, employment or training. While this is almost 15 per cent across the OECD, it falls to 9 per cent in Ireland.

It’s still too high — given the negative employment trends for these young people in later life — but it is better than most other developed countries.

Ireland also has one of the highest proportion of people with further or higher education qualifications.

While an average of 33 per cent of 25- to 64-year-olds across the OECD have a tertiary level, this climbs to 54 per cent in Ireland. It is the highest in Europe and ranks just behind Canada and Japan.

It is not all sunny, though. The study also notes the relatively low proportion of young people in Ireland attending vocational education and training.

It found less than 12 per cent of 15 to 19-year-olds were pursuing further education and training. The average across the OECD is 44 per cent, rising to a majority in some countries.

The report notes that vocational education and training are vital and offer an alternative to academic education, equip learners with vital skills and meet economies’ demand for skilled workers.

The verdict, overall? Ireland is making good progress, but it could do better.