The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has congratulated all students receiving their Junior Cycle results today.
The Union today drew attention to both the excellent performance of Irish students in the international PISA rankings and Ireland’s dire level of Government investment in education.
Speaking today, TUI President David Waters said:
‘We extend huge congratulations to all students receiving their Junior Cycle results today. This is an important milestone in their educational journey and they should be extremely proud of their achievements to date.’
‘It is also important today to acknowledge the encouragement and support of parents and guardians and the dedication of teachers over the duration of the Junior Cycle years.’
‘As always, we urge students to be careful and responsible in their celebrations.’
Department must match commitment of students and teachers
‘The latest international PISA findings of 15-year-old Irish students show that the scores across the three areas which were examined – Mathematics, Science and Reading – were all rated as being ‘statistically significantly’ above the OECD average.’
‘However, the latest OECD Education At A Glance report shows that at second level, Ireland’s spend as a percentage of GDP (0.9%) is the lowest of the 34 countries for which figures are provided, trailing far behind the OECD average of 1.9%.'
‘We once again urge the Government to match the commitment of Irish students and their teachers by investing properly in education.'
‘The teacher recruitment and retention crisis limits subject choice and often sees students taught subjects by a succession of teachers across both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle. This is absolutely unacceptable in 2024 and the Department of Education must engage meaningfully with us to tackle these significant problems.’