Over 5 per cent of all students attending primary schools here are from outside of Ireland, a new report by the Department of Education and Science has revealed.
According to the report, a total of 79,358 students entered ordinary classes in national schools between October 1st, 2000, and September 30th, 2001, the latest dates for which figures are available. Of these, 4,340 were from countries other than Ireland.
The new figures reaffirm the increasingly multicultural make-up of the Irish school system. In 1996/97, figures show that 4 per cent of all students attending national schools were from outside the country.
During the equivalent period in 1996/1997, for example, 3,340 children (or some 4 per cent) from outside of Ireland entered ordinary classes in national schools, out of a total of 77,754.
Almost one in four children in special schools for young offenders were 13 years of age or under, the same report also shows.
In total, 101 children were enrolled in such schools in 2001/2002.
Of these, six were 11 years of age or under, nine were 12 years of age, and nine were 13.
However, the vast majority (75) were between the ages of 14 and 16.
Interestingly, 16 children attending these schools in 2002 came from Limerick, the second highest number after Dublin (43).
This compares with seven for Cork, five for Waterford, and four for Galway.
None of the children attending schools of this type was from outside of Ireland.
The pupil-teacher ratio for full-time teachers at both primary and second level has continued to decrease, the same report reveals. Whereas the average number of students per teacher at second level 1999/2000 was 16.8, in 2001/2002 this fell to 15.8.
By comparison, the pupil-teacher ratio in national schools was 18.4 in 2001/2002, as opposed to 20.3 in 1999/2000.
The report also reveals some interesting information about entry to third level here.
The estimated rate of transfer of the population over the age of 17 to third level here, including mature and overseas entrants, increased to 60 per cent in 2001/2002, up from a figure of 50 per cent in 1995.
Out of 131,812 students enrolled in full-time third-level courses in 2001/2002, 2,729 came from countries within the European Union.
The EU was closely followed by students from Asia (2,290) and the US (1,768).
However, some 466 students in the third-level sector were listed as "origin unknown" in the academic year 2001/2002.