The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published its Education at a Glance (EAG) 2022 report for its members yesterday.
Minister for Higher Education and Research Simon Harris stated that the “report highlights the significant advancements we have made in third-level education”.
The report stated that Ireland has a 54 per cent rate of third-level education attainment, meaning that 54 per cent of people in Ireland have completed some form of third-level education compared to the OECD average of 41 per cent. This puts Ireland at third place in the ranking, one place up from 2019.
It also found that the number of young people (18 to 24 year-olds) not in employment, education or training in 2021 has dropped to 12.1 per cent, which is well below the OECD average of 16.1 per cent, and that 63 per cent of 18-24-year olds in Ireland are in education, well above the OECD average of 54 per cent and the EU22 average of 59 per cent.
The report also pointed out the rate of people doing part-time third-level degrees in Ireland is 17 per cent, below the OECD average of 22 per cent.
In a press release, Harris said: “The publication of this report highlights the significant advancements we have made in third level education.
“We have continued to make important investments in further and higher education and these have been borne out by these positive trends”.
Responding to the issue of part-time education, Harris added that “the “[EAG report] also highlights areas we need to improve on too including access to part-time studies”.
These efforts to increase the standards of and access to further and higher education come as part of the Higher Education Authority (HEA)’s National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. As part of the scheme, a 2012 report was published concerning part-time and flexible higher education. The report looked at “policy, practice and recommendations for the future”.
In 2008, the proportion of undergraduates doing part-time third-level degrees sat at seven per cent, rising to 14 per cent in 2009-2010. A target was set to increase this to 17 per cent by 2013, the same rate published this year.
In a report published in 2012, a senior academic is quoted as saying that the target is “by comparison with the best nations a modest goal” and suggested that it should be at least 35 per cent.
The Department of Further and Higher Education has previously stated that “enabling students to enrol on a part-time basis is an important way to facilitate access to tertiary education”.
