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OECD education director says Irish funds are 'quite effectively spent'

A senior official with the OECD says Irish funds in education are being spent in an effective way...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.42 9 Sep 2014


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OECD education director says I...

OECD education director says Irish funds are 'quite effectively spent'

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.42 9 Sep 2014


Share this article


A senior official with the OECD says Irish funds in education are being spent in an effective way.

It comes on the back of a study which finds Irish adults have much poorer reading skills than those of other developed countries.

The global report on education and skills published by the OECD. Education at a Glance, says even college graduates from Ireland have poorer literacy skills than their counterparts in other developed nations.

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While the reading skills of over-55s are broadly in line with the OECD average, the percentage of 25-to-34-year-olds with high literacy skills is almost three times lower than in Finland.

That is despite Ireland having one of the highest rates of second-level graduation and with a higher-than-average amount of money spent on each student's education.

The report also finds that Ireland has slightly higher pupil-teacher ratios than other developed countries, and that Irish teachers are well paid by international standards, although they work more hours than their counterparts elsewhere.

It also says Ireland lags behind its rivals in early childhood education with only 42% of three-year-olds in some sort of education, compared to a 70% average across the OECD.

But the director of education with the OECD - Andreas Schleicher - told Newstalk Lunchtime that while there is room for improvement, funds are being well spent.

While the general-secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) says the level of investment in primary education is not sufficient.

Sheila Nunan says research shows that educational success needs government investment.


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