NEWS: PISA 2018 shows need for more investment - ASTI

PISA 2018 shows need for more investment - ASTI

IRELAND has a poor track record for investment in education, according to the ASTI, after the PISA 2018 findings were published. Based on the data for 2018, the report, published today, shows significant disparities between Ireland and OECD comparator countries say the union.

Some of the concerns raised by the ASTI were: • 44.8% 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%. • 44.6% 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 infra-

structure compared to the OECD average of 33.1%. • 56.5% 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%.

ASTI President, Ann Piggott, said: “Covid-19 has brought to the forefront the importance of school infrastructural capacity and digital learning capacity. "No individual should be disadvantaged by lack of access to online learning."