THE IRISH school year at second level is the shortest among the 30 countries of the OECD, while the work of second-level teachers in Ireland is rarely evaluated, according to a new report.
The annual Education at a Glancesurvey published by the OECD finds that the school year of 167 days at upper second level (Leaving Cert) is the shortest across the OECD.
The school year is much longer in many other countries, including Australia (197), England (190), Finland (188) and Korea (204). The average school year across the OECD was 184 days.
The primary school year in Ireland (183 days) is just below the EU average of 185 days.
The survey also finds that teachers in Ireland are relatively well paid compared to other OECD countries. Only Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany and Korea pay higher average salaries to teachers with 15 years’ experience or more .
The report shows Irish primary teaching extends for 946 hours per year. This is exceeded only by New Zealand and the USA.
The report also singles out Ireland as one of a number of countries with a relatively weak evaluation structure, where second-level teachers do not always benefit from school evaluations and teacher appraisal and feedback.
It says 39 per cent of second-level schools in Ireland had no form of school evaluation in the previous five years.
Some 26 per cent of teachers report not receiving appraisal or feedback from any source in their school, according to the OECD.
Many teachers in Ireland also reported that sustained poor performance would not lead to dismissal.
The report states that for countries at the technology frontier – such as Ireland – having enough highly educated workers is key to growth and social development.
