Teachers’ salaries in Ireland have declined in real terms over recent years at time while they have increased in most other developed countries, according to new research.
The findings are contained in the annual OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) study of education systems across its 38 member nations.
It shows that between 2015 and last year, salaries increased by 16 per cent in Ireland for secondary teachers with 15 years of experience. Most of this increase compensated for the rising cost of living.
However, when adjusted for inflation, teachers’ salaries decreased by 6 per cent over the eight-year period compared to an average increase of 4 per cent across countries with available data.
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The study also reveals contrasting findings on investment in education, which is measured in US dollars.
While Ireland ranks bottom of all member states for spending as a proportion of gross domestic product, we spend above average when measured as a proportion of public spending The contrast is likely to be due, in part, to the distorting effect of multinationals in Ireland.
Ireland spends 2.9 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on educational institutions at primary to third level. This is significantly below the OECD average of 4.9 per cent of GDP.
On average across the OECD, the share of GDP dedicated to education was broadly stable between 2015 and 2021. However, Ireland is among smaller group of countries where expenditure as a share of GDP decreased over this period, falling from 3.6 per cent to 2.9 per cent.
Ireland’s annual expenditure per student in education – from primary to third level – is also below average, with $13,059 spent per student compared to an average of $14,209 across the OECD countries.
By contrast, Ireland spends above average when measured as a proportion of public spending. Education accounts for 12 per cent of all public spending in Ireland, compared to 10 per cent of all public expenditure on average across the OECD.
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Early childhood education has received much attention in recent years because of its importance, especially for children from disadvantaged families. In Ireland, public investment in early childhood education relative to GDP increased by 37 per cent between 2015 and 2021. It increased on average by 9 per cent across the OECD over this period.
The report also notes that the number of hours that teachers are contractually obliged to teach varies greatly across countries.
In Ireland, teachers at second level have to teach 704 hours annually, in line with the OECD average of 706 hours.
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Student-teacher ratios also vary between countries and between levels of education. While Ireland’s has traditionally been above average, this latest report shows it is now below. On average across the OECD, there are 14 students per teacher in primary education and 13 at second level. In Ireland, the corresponding numbers are 13 in primary education and 12 in secondary education.
While lower student teacher ratios allow teachers to focus more on the needs of the individual, they require higher overall spending on teacher salaries and have to be weighed against alternative spending priorities.
The study also examines the proportion of teachers leaving the profession. Among countries with available data, between 2 per cent and 12 per cent of teachers leave the profession each year. In Ireland, the share (3 per cent) is at the lower end of this range, with the bulk accounted for by retirements.
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