As the State emerges from recession, with ambitions to become a world-class economy, the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) provide challenging evidence of what is required for Ireland to compete successfully with other countries. This OECD study, involving 65 states, has placed Ireland in twentieth place overall in terms of student ability in reading, maths and science. The seven top-performing countries represent the most developed economies of Southeast Asia. Within Europe, Ireland is ranked tenth.

These are stark figures and a useful reminder of the level of competition that Ireland and its youthful workforce will face in the years ahead. League tables are crude measures and Pisa tables have been criticised for lacking statistical transparency. But governments pay close attention to the results. Negative findings from an earlier study, in 2009, caused consternation within Irish education and led to the introduction of reforms and a new science curriculum. Aptitude in science was the only area where the performance of Irish students recovered last year. In spite of that, outcomes for the three disciplines have shown no improvement since Pisa was introduced, 13 years ago. That situation is untenable and needs urgent attention.

Every three years, more than half-a-million students under 15 years of age are assessed, with schools and parents participating. Criticism of the methodology used may be justified in some cases, but the overall outcomes – particularly when earlier results can be compared – leave little wriggle room for apologists of current teaching practices. Pisa executives itemise the steps required to produce top-performing students: a careful selection of teachers and the subsequent prioritising of their training and development. Such reforms would require changes in recruitment and additional investment. These are not optional extras. High quality education remains central to social progress.