Political parties must commit to increased investment in education
The ASTI is calling on the political parties to ensure children and young people are prioritised by the next Government by committing to spending 2% of GDP on second-level education, which would bring Ireland into line with the OECD average.
The most recent OECD report on investment in education (Education at a Glance 2019), ranks Ireland in last place out of 35 countries for investment in second-level education as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
“Successive OECD reports have shown that Ireland comes almost last of the OECD countries in funding for each second-level student relative to our wealth,” said ASTI President Deirdre Mac Donald. “We are consistently at the bottom of the league when it comes to investment in second-level education. Overcrowded classes remain rampant in the second-level system. Students with special educational needs are not receiving adequate support. There is a long list of issues.”
“If we want a quality second-level education for all our young people, then we must invest more money in our schools,” continued the ASTI President. “The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report 2019 identified that Ireland invested 1.2% of GDP on second-level education compared to the OECD average of 2%. ASTI is calling on all parties to commit to raising the spend on Irish second-level education to the OECD average over the period of the next Dáil. Parents, Students and Teachers deserve no less.”
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