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Press release

Ministers Foley and Harris announce publication of Education Indicators for Ireland 2023

Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris today (1 April 2024) announced the publication of Education Indicators for Ireland 2023 – a report which presents a comprehensive set of educational indicators for the education system in Ireland.

This report covers all levels of education starting with early years and working through school education, further and higher education and through to lifelong learning. In doing so, the report provides an overview of the work of both the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

This updated report provides data up to and including the school/academic year 2022-2023 where possible, as well as a look back at how our education system has progressed over the five years 2018-2022.

This edition provides a number of insights about the primary and post-primary education system, including:

  • the total number of teachers has risen by over 8,258 since 2018
  • the total number of special needs assistants (SNAs) has risen by over 4,342 in this time
  • the pupil-teacher ratio has fallen from 15.2 to 13.4 since 2018, while in post-primary it has fallen from 12.7 to 12.5
  • the percentage of students doing Transition Year rose between 2021 and 2022
  • the total number of students taking the Leaving Certificate programme has levelled off after seeing a sharp increase between 2018 and 2021
  • the number of people registered on apprenticeships has shown a strong increase in recent years, rising from around 15,000 in 2018 to around 26,000 in 2022
  • the overall educational attainment of the population has been rising steadily over time, while unemployment rates remain consistently lower for those with a higher level of education
  • the number of post-graduate research enrolments rose to 12,025 in 2022, of which the majority were full-time PhD students

Among the topics covered in the report are:

  • school types
  • Leaving Certificate pathways
  • special education
  • access to higher education
  • graduate numbers
  • further education and training enrolments

This is the only report where data from across the entirety of the education and training sector is presented together. In doing so, the report presents a snapshot of the whole education system at a single point in time while also charting our progress over the past five years.

With regard to primary and post-primary level education, findings highlighted in the report include a rise in the overall number of teachers; a fall in the pupil teacher ratio at both primary and post-primary level; an increase in the number of special needs assistants and an increase in the total number of students taking the Leaving Certificate programme.

In the area of further education and training and higher education, findings highlighted show growth in the number of students availing of opportunities for remote learning; an increase in the apprentice population; a broadening of apprenticeship opportunities and an increase in participation in Skillnet Ireland programmes.

Minister Foley said:

“I welcome the publication of today’s report which presents us with a snapshot of the whole education system and is an invaluable tool in formulating future policy.

“It is heartening to see that a number of key indicators are continuing to trend in a positive direction, particularly the significant improvement we have seen in the pupil teacher ratio at both primary and post-primary and the considerable increase in SNAs and an increase in the number of students using school transport services across the country. We will continue to work to further address these key areas and ensure that there is progress right across the education sector.”

Minister Harris said:

"This report shows the expansion of our education and training offerings across Ireland.

“By broadening the educational pathways available we are allowing learners to engage with, and continue, their education and training journey in a way that works for them, at any stage of life.

“The growth in remote learning in higher education and the increased apprenticeship numbers clearly demonstrate that learners are ready to avail of a range of opportunities to gain their qualification.”

The full report is available online.

Findings

Primary and Post-Primary Education

  • the total number of teachers has risen by over 8,258 since 2018, from 65,815 to 74,073. The pupil-teacher ratio has fallen from 15.2 to 13.4 since 2018, while in post-primary it has fallen from 12.7 to 12.5
  • the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) has increased from 14,877 in 2018 to 19,219 in 2022
  • the percentage of students doing Transition Year has risen from 72.3 per cent of students in 2018 to 79.2 per cent in 2022
  • the total number of students taking the Leaving Certificate programme (across both 5th and 6th year) increased from just under 84,000 in 2018 to over 91,000 in 2021 before falling to around 85,000 in 2022
  • the retention rate to the Leaving Certificate in DEIS schools stood at 85.0% for the 2016 entry cohort, a slight increase from the 2012 cohort which was 84.7%. The gap in retention between DEIS and non-DEIS schools closed over the period from 8.7% in 2018, to 8.4% in 2022
  • the number of students in mainstream post-primary education using school transport increased from 65,499 to 71,095 between 2018 and 2022, while the number of students with special educational needs using school transport increased from 12,751 to 16,401 in this time

Further Education and Training and Higher Education

  • the number of students availing of opportunities for remote learning in higher education grew to over 15,000 in 2022, up from 10,933 in the year immediately prior to COVID-19 (2019)
  • the apprentice population increased from 24,212 in 2021 to 26,325 by end 2022. While craft apprenticeships continue to account for the majority of registrations, broadening apprenticeship opportunities have seen other apprenticeships account for around 15% of the apprenticeship population
  • participants in Skillnet Ireland programmes exceeded 89,000 for the first time, including around 3,400 unemployed persons
  • the total number of post-graduate researchers continued in its trend of steady growth, rising from 10,065 in 2018 to 12,025 in 2022

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