High third-level participation, but highest primary class sizes

THE state has one of the highest participation rates in third-level education in the EU, but continues to have the highest class sizes in the primary sector. Those were among the headline findings contained in the latest CSO's Measuring Ireland's Progress 2008 report. The report also revealed that in 2008 Ireland also had the second highest level of third-level graduates in the 25- to 34-year-old bracket in the EU.

Only Cyprus has a higher number of similarly aged students with third-level education. Some 42.3% of the population in that age group in Ireland were in college or third-level courses last year. This was compared with an average 30.3% across the 27 EU countries as a whole.

The number of females attending third-level education has also jumped considerably. The number of females aged 25 to 34 with third-level education rose from 30.5% in 2000 to 49.9% last year. In comparison, the numbers of males in that education area only went up from 27.5% to 34.9% over the same period. This is due to the increasing tendency for females to remain in education longer.

However, when it comes to primary education, students are still learning in some of the most cramped conditions in Europe, the CSO figures reveal. In 2005 and 2006, there was an average 24.5 pupils in Irish primary classes, the joint highest among EU countries along with Britain.

Similarly, the figures reveal Ireland had 19.4 students for every teacher at primary level, which was joint second highest in the EU after Britain. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation said the report provided clear evidence that Irish classes were overcrowded. The report also showed the amount in public funds spent on students in education is above the EU average. Ireland spent €6,740 per person in education in 2006 as opposed to the EU average of €5,970 in the same year.

When it comes to literacy, Irish students – who were aged 15 years – had the second-highest levels in 2006, only after Finland.

Girls performed much better than boys in reading literacy tests in 2006 with an average score of 534 compared with males who scored 500. But when it came to maths, boys performed better than girls. Ireland also scored above the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average when it came to scientific literacy among both genders.

The proportions of those who left school at an early age was lower in Ireland, the CSO figures show. 11% of 18- to 24- year-olds had left school early in 2007 compared with the EU average of 15.2%.