The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has described Ireland’s strong showing in the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) as a tribute to the commitment and dedication of Irish students and teachers.
The union highlighted that Irish school communities are operating at a considerable disadvantage compared to many international counterparts due to unacceptably low investment levels at second level.
TUI is calling for Government to match the commitment of students and teachers by investing appropriately in the sector.
Speaking this morning, TUI President Martin Marjoram said:
‘The strong showing by Irish students in this latest TIMSS report is a tribute to the excellent quality of teaching and learning in our schools. At second year, Irish students were the top-performing EU country in Mathematics while the performance in Science was also very impressive
However, it is high time that our policy-makers matched the commitment of students and teachers.
A succession of governments have paid lip service to the concept of an education system that meets the requirements of all learners while allowing funding to the sector to stagnate.
In recent months, the various additional challenges foisted on schools by COVID-19 have put into sharp focus the unsuitability of many buildings and other facilities for modern teaching and learning.
In addition, the crisis of teacher supply will worsen in second level schools until the scandal of discriminatory pay affecting those appointed from 2011 onwards is eliminated. Maths and the Science subjects are among the areas where schools are having severe difficulties finding recruiting and retaining teachers.
Today’s results are all the more remarkable when we look at investment levels at second level. The latest OECD Education At A Glance report shows Ireland’s spend at second level to be the lowest of the 36 countries for which figures are provided. This illustrates a shameful and sustained lack of acknowledgement by Government of the value of education to the individual, to society and to our economy.’