TUI today described the continuing high performance of Irish students in science in the OECD’s latest PISA study as welcome news. The union also expressed its hope that Project Maths will boost performance in the subject in future years, while warning that it must be fully resourced.
Comments from TUI General Secretary Peter MacMenamin:
“All indicators must be looked at in the context of Ireland languishing 30th out of 33 OECD countries in a table of education spending. While there are findings that are of concern, the performance of our students continues to bely this miserly provision.
Once again, Irish students have scored above average in science, further proof that the most important raw materials to develop the country as a centre of excellence in this field are ready and available. This is a welcome boost at a tough time for the country. However, any further cuts in teacher pupil ratio would have devastating effects for science subjects as schools are already struggling to offer them as a result of cutbacks in teacher provision.
The fall in maths performance is of concern and it is hoped that the rollout of Project Maths will bolster this key competency in the coming years. Now more than ever, it is vital that the project is appropriately resourced, irrespective of the national financial climate. It must be looked at as investment as opposed to spending.
The reading results seem an aberration of sorts, as Irish students have scored above average in all previous rounds. Mitigating factors for the lower score this time may be related to the inclusion of greater number of students who do not speak English as their first language, those with special educational needs and the chance inclusion of a number of schools not previously included in study. Even allowing for these, Ireland’s score is still above the OECD average. The OECD observation of an increased disengagement of disadvantaged boys should be of grave concern and further highlights the two-tier nature of education in Ireland.
PISA is a limited study in that it focuses on a narrow set of a few subject areas, leaving aside such important domains as arts humanities and the social sciences. Crucially, it is not designed on the basis of our national education goals and curricula. It can also be argued that in provides only a snapshot of the selected group at a precise moment in time. It is important that it is considered in this context.”