Madam, – The concentration by both Charlie Taylor and Seán Flynn on highly selective aspects of the OECD Education at a Glancereport 2010 released earlier this week is disappointing (Home News, September 7th and 8th).
Rather than do Ireland down as some commentators have sought to do, the report is altogether more positive on Ireland’s achievements and international standing.
Ireland has seen a dramatic increase in tertiary attainment levels over the past 30 years. By 2008 almost 50 per cent of 25-34-year-olds had obtained a higher education qualification, as compared to just 20 per cent of those in the 55-64 age group. Indeed, Ireland ranks in the top group for tertiary attainment, along with Korea, Canada and the Russian Federation.
Ireland’s performance continues to improve (record CAO applications this year), while a number of our European partners run the risk of a backward trend.
This is an important indicator as Education at a Glance 2010 also shows that men and women who have university-level degrees earn far more over the course of a lifetime than those who do not. (“The earnings premium for tertiary education is substantial in most countries and exceeds 50 per cent in 21 out of 31 countries”). Ireland therefore continues to invest in its future.
Your correspondents’ focus on educational investment data is also misplaced, given that Ireland’s strong GDP growth over the period under observation and continual GDP/GNP gap have distorted our position in the international rankings.
The OECD in its report has recognised that rapid Irish growth over the 1995-2007 period skewed our education investment figures – “while spending on all levels of education combined doubled between 1995 and 2007, GDP more than doubled over the same period, leading to a decrease in expenditure as a proportion of GDP”. Any statistical decline in investment over that period should be viewed in that context.
Furthermore, calculation of investment on a GNP (rather than GDP) basis would suggest that Ireland’s education expenditure in 2007 was over 5 per cent.
It is also true that Ireland’s education achievements, as demonstrated by high participation and achievement rates, confirm that both efficiency and the return on our investment in education are high – a fact established by the November 2009 Ecofin report.
The 2010 Education at a Glance report is a good-news story. The report confirms that Ireland has continued to encourage education and innovation, and offers a highly skilled workforce and a supportive environment for international business. – Yours, etc,