OECD report an endorsement of work of Irish teachers and lecturers

By piofficer, Tuesday, 24th November 2015 | 0 comments

The latest OECD Education At A Glance report highlights that Irish teachers teach considerably longer hours at second level than their international counterparts.

The report shows an extremely high upper secondary graduation rate and once again emphasises the value of education in terms of future earnings and good health.

Findings on salary within the report are potentially misleading given that they are based on those teachers lucky enough to hold contracts for full hours. In this regard, it must be borne in mind that up to half of teachers under 35 have less than full hours, with many struggling even to meet even modest financial commitments.

Speaking today, TUI President Gerry Quinn said:

‘Many of the findings in today’s report affirm the excellent job being done on a daily basis in Irish schools and colleges.

The report highlights that the number of teaching hours for Irish second level teachers is 735, which is far in excess of the OECD average of 669 hours (OECD lower secondary average: 694; OECD upper secondary average: 643). Finland, France, Denmark and Norway are among those countries with lower numbers of teaching hours.

Meanwhile, compulsory instruction time per student per annum in Ireland at second level is 935 hours, which is considerably higher than the OECD average of 916 hours and the EU21 average of 895 hours. In terms of European neighbours, Sweden, Norway, Germany and Finland are among those European countries with lower levels of instruction time.

The 98% upper secondary graduation rate is well above the OECD average of 85%. This is a tribute to the determination and application of students and their families and the innovation of Irish teachers during an era when schools are still struggling to cope with the damaging effects of austerity cuts.

That 41% of adults between 25-64 year-olds have attained tertiary education (up from 29% in 2005) is testament to the ongoing work of lecturers who have had to deal with the withering, unacceptable effects of cuts in funding and staffing at a time of considerable increase in student numbers. However, the ratio of students to teaching staff of 20:1 at third level is far above the OECD and EU21 averages of 16:1. This is unacceptably high and shows the need for considerable increased investment in higher education. 

The study shows that the unemployment rate of 25-64 year-olds with below upper secondary education is about 13 percentage points higher than those who have attained tertiary education, compared to an OECD average of about 8 percentage points. Only four OECD countries indicate a greater disparity, and this shows the value of education and the importance of appropriately resourced lifelong learning.

Findings on salary within the report are potentially misleading given that they are based on those teachers lucky enough to hold contracts for full hours. In this regard, it must be borne in mind that up to half of teachers under 35 have less than full hours, with many struggling to meet financial commitments. TUI will continue to campaign for equal pay for equal work and an end to the scandal of casualisation within the profession. 

Yet again, the report endorses the value of education to the individual in terms of future earnings and good health.

At a time when most indicators suggest that we are entering a period of economic recovery, this report makes clear the societal and educational value of appropriate investment in education.’

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