The OECD PISA 2018 test report published today shows significant disparities between Ireland and OECD comparator countries. 

ASTI President Ann Pigott calls on the Government to prioritise funding for education in the October 2020 budget.

PISA is the OECD’s Programme for assessing the achievement of 15-year-olds in reading literacy, maths, and science.

Today’s report, Effective Policies, Successful Schools, analyses the findings from the most recent OECD PISA 2018 test, which involved 600,000 15-year-old students in 79 countries and economies.

Comparative lack of staff and physical infrastructure

The OECD report shows significant disparities between Ireland and OECD comparator countries:

• 44.8 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal reported that the school’s capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by lack of teaching staff compared to the OECD average of 27.1 percent;
• 44.6 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal reported that the school’s capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by a lack of physical infrastructure (e.g. building, grounds, heating/ cooling systems, lighting, and acoustic systems) compared to the OECD average of 33.1 percent;
• 40.7 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal reported that the school’s capacity to provide instruction is hindered to some extent or a lot by inadequate or poor quality physical infrastructure (e.g. building, grounds, heating/ cooling systems, lighting, and acoustic systems) compared to the OECD average of 32.5 percent.

Digital Infrastructure

The report provides data on schools’ digital infrastructure, another area in which Ireland is less well-served than comparator countries. Importantly, the report found that equity in education, as measured by PISA performance scores in core subjects, is related to equity in access to an effective online learning support platform.

• 56.5 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal agreed or strongly agreed that the number of digital devices connected to the internet was sufficient compared to the OECD average of 67.2 percent;
• 45.3 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal agreed or strongly agreed that the number of digital devices for instruction was sufficient compared to the OECD average of 59 percent;
• 45.4 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal reported that an effective online learning support platform was available compared to the OECD average of 54.1 percent;
• 47.4 percent of Irish students were in schools where the principal agreed or strongly agreed that professional resources were available for teachers to learn how to use digital devices instruction compared to the OECD average of 64.7 percent.

Commenting on these findings, ASTI President, Ann Piggott, said:

“Covid-19 has brought to the forefront the importance of school infrastructural capacity and digital learning capacity. The Government must prioritise funding for education in the October budget to upgrade school buildings and facilities so as to ensure that students and staff are protected and that every school has the capacity to revert to partial or full remote learning during this pandemic.

“A key demand of the ASTI has been the provision of laptops for students and teachers so that no individual is disadvantaged by lack of access to online learning if they are required to self-isolate or if their school is required to close due to Covid-19.”

Today’s report follows the publication earlier this month of OECD Education at a Glance 2020 which ranked Ireland last out of 36 countries for investment in second-level education as a percentage of GDP.

SOURCE: Materials provided by ASTI
Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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