Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), which represents Ireland’s 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs), has welcomed the publication of the latest OECD Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) results which indicate further improvements since 2009 in the performance levels of Ireland’s 15-year-olds, most notably in science, where it now ranks 9th out of 34 OECD countries, but also in reading where it ranks 4th, and in mathematics where it ranks 13th.
Highlights of the PISA report include:
- An increased share of top performers (proficiency level 5 or 6) and a simultaneously reduced share of low performers (proficiency level 2 or lower) in all three assessed subjects, mathematics, reading and science, for Irish students;
- A significant reduction in the share of Irish students performing below proficiency level 2 in science since 2006;
- Irish students now score above the OECD average in mathematics and science;
- More than 10% of Irish students are top performers in reading.
ETBI General Secretary Michael Moriarty welcomed the results and gave credit to the work of Ireland’s students and teachers:
"These improvements in international assessments are a reflection of the dedicated work that Irish teachers and their students continue to put in, despite the cutbacks in teaching numbers and teaching supports over the past few years.
Going forward, schools need to continue to adopt new teaching tools, particularly in the area of Information Technology, to assist in the on-going enhancement of our world rankings.
As a nation, we must continue to prioritise targeted investment in education of we are to compete on the world stage, both educationally and commercially."
"These improvements in international assessments are a reflection of the dedicated work that Irish teachers and their students continue to put in, despite the cutbacks in teaching numbers and teaching supports over the past few years.
Going forward, schools need to continue to adopt new teaching tools, particularly in the area of Information Technology, to assist in the on-going enhancement of our world rankings.
As a nation, we must continue to prioritise targeted investment in education of we are to compete on the world stage, both educationally and commercially."
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