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The Government should increase secondary school class sizes and introduce university fees to reduce public spending, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has recommended.

In a  report published today, the OECD argued for "better value-for-money in education spending" in what it described as an "over-expanded" public sector. It said Ireland could have reduced its education spending by 12 to 18 per cent in 2003 and still achieved the same outcomes.