The Republic has performed very well in the latest OECD report on education, Education at a Glance, writes Seán Flynn, Education Editor.
The annual report, Education at a Glance, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris is highly significant in an Irish context.
For parents, teachers, students and policymakers it is the best opportunity to find out how the Republic is doing in relation to other developed nations.
In recent years the Republic has performed very well in these reports.
There is more good news in this year's finding based on the average performance of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematical and scientific literacy.
Irish 15-year-olds were ranked fifth out of 27 OECD countries in reading literacy. They came ninth in scientific literacy and 15th in mathematical literacy.
Last night the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, welcomed the findings which, he said, reflect "the quality of our schools and teachers and, especially, of the ability of our young people to meet the many and varied challenges they are likely to face in their lives".
The report, he said, draws attention to the improvement in the educational profile of the Irish population and describes as "significant" the improvement in the proportion of the population with upper second-level education. "This progress over time is welcome, but we have a lot more room for improvement."
"As the OECD notes in the report, the challenge now is to ensure that the remaining fraction is not left behind, with the risk of social exclusion that this may entail," he said.
Mr Dempsey said the State's number of third-level graduates was now reasonably high by international standards."However, there is room for improvement here, and the findings indicating high levels of dropout from certificate and diploma courses are worrying.
This raises questions about the extent to which these programmes are meeting the expectations and the labour market needs of their clients," he said.
The ASTI said the report highlighted the gross underinvestment in education in Ireland.
Its general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said : "When it comes to the proportion of national income spent per second-level student in 26 OECD countries, Ireland comes bottom of the league".
The report, he said, highlighted the need for urgent investment in the second-level sector so that today's students could compete effectively in the global labour market.
He also said that the commitment of teachers to delivering a modern, diverse and quality education service to young people had helped to place Ireland firmly in the top rank of educational achievement.
The INTO general secretary, Mr John Carr , said the report represented a tribute to the achievement and dedication of Irish teachers, "who with lower levels of funding helped students to the top of the class".
Only some comfort in report;
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