More than 7 per cent of 14-year-old pupils are absent from Irish schools on a typical day, according to the latest research from the OECD.
Of 25 OECD states surveyed on attendance, the Republic had the third-worst rate, narrowly behind Scotland and the Czech Republic. The best performers were Korea and Japan which had fewer than 2 per cent of their students absent.
The latest figures, compiled from returns made by school principals, follow other research which has shown a high rate of truancy in many Irish schools. This has particularly been the case in disadvantaged schools.
The OECD points out: "High levels of student absenteeism during the school year can have a negative impact on students' opportunity to learn."
Predictably, the report shows that schools with higher absentee rates scored lower when performance in maths was measured.
However, it cautions that socio-economic factors could also play a part. Mr Andreas Schleicher, deputy head of statistics and indicators division of the OECD, said the rate was high, but the reasons behind it were a matter for the Irish authorities.
