Wales (or Cymru in Welsh) is a mountainous country on the western side of

Education in the republic of IrelAnd

2. Principal education-related results of Census 2002

Overview

Teaching of the Irish language is compulsory in primary and secondary level schools which receive money from the state. Education in Ireland is compulsory from age 6 to 16 or up until students have completed three years of second level education. However, most children enrol in first-level (primary) school before age 6. The average age for starting school is 4 years. Public expenditure on education accounts for around 14 per cent of Government current spending and approximately 5 per cent of GDP. ( 3.5%, 2001)

First-level (Primary) Education
The primary education sector receives funding from the State, supplemented by local contributions. Primary education emphasises a child-centred approach with a curriculum related to the child's needs and interests.

Second-Level (Post Primary) Education
The second-level sector comprises secondary, vocational, community and comprehensive schools. Almost 60 per cent of students at second-level attend secondary schools. These schools are privately owned and managed. Most are managed by religious orders and the rest by boards of governors or by individuals. The State meets over 90 per cent of the cost of the teachers' salaries.
Vocational schools (szakmunkásképző), educating just over a quarter of second-level students, are administered by Vocational Education Committees. The State provides some 90 per cent of their costs. The balance is generated by the Committees themselves. Community and comprehensive schools, educating 14 per cent of second-level students, receive individual budgets from the State.

Second-level education consists of a three-year Junior Cycle followed by a two- or three-year Senior Cycle. In the Senior Cycle there is an optional Transition Year Programme. During the final two years of Senior Cycle students take one of three programmes - the established Leaving Certificate, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme or the Leaving Certificate Applied.

Third-Level Education
The third-level education sector consists of universities, technological colleges (műszaki főiskola) and colleges of education (tanárképző főiskola). All of these are substantially funded by the State and are autonomous and self-governing. In recent years, several independent private colleges have opened offering mainly business-related courses.

There are more than 100,000 students in third-level education. Over half of Ireland's young people proceed from second to third level and some 50 per cent of these take degree level programmes ( 53% and 62% respectively). There are four universities, the University of Dublin (Trinity College), the National University of Ireland (NUI), the University of Limerick and Dublin City University.

The University of Dublin, Trinity College, founded in 1592, is the oldest university in Ireland. Trinity College is the sole constituent college of the University. At present there are over 12,000 students and 1,200 staff members working on the College campus.

The history of Trinity College can be conveniently divided into three epochs - a century or so during which the foundations were laid, a period of expansion extending over the eighteenth century, and a century and a half of adaptation to a rapidly changing world.

Standing in the heart of Dublin, the College buildings represent the accumulated architectural riches of nearly three centuries. Its thirteen and a half thousand staff and students form a compact academic community and are at the same time an intimate part of the city's life.

The NUI has four constituent colleges, NUI Dublin, NUI Cork, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth. The Royal College of Surgeons, the National College of Art and Design and the Institute of Public Administration are also recognised colleges of the NUI. Institutes of Technology are located around the country offering education and training, full-time and part-time, for trade and industry in the area of business studies, engineering and technology, and science and paramedicine. The Dublin Institute of Technology is the country's largest third-level institution with some 15,000 students. It has constituent colleges specialising in technology, catering, marketing and design, commerce and music.

Principal education-related results of Census 2002

§ Slight declines were observed in the education participation rates of those aged 15 to 17 years during the past 15 years, probably due to increased employment opportunities. However, for the older age groups, especially those aged 19 to 22 years, the upward trend observed during the 1991 to 1996 period continued into the most recent period.

Percentage of persons aged 15 to 24 years receiving full-time education

§ The proportion of persons who had left the education system with only a Primary education fell from 32 per cent in 1996 to 26 per cent in 2002. There was an increase in the proportion of persons who completed their education with a Third level qualification (from 19 per cent in 1996 to 25 per cent in 2002).

§ The improvement is well illustrated on the following graph. Over two thirds of persons aged 70 years and over were educated to Primary level only. In contrast less than 10 per cent of persons aged 20-29 years in 2002 completed their education at Primary level. Furthermore y 2002, 28 per cent of the 20-29 age group had completed third level education.

Highest level of education completed by age groups, 2002

§ The higher the educational level attained the less likely the risk of unemployment. The progression is from Primary education through both levels of Secondary education to Third level certificate/diploma and degree/higher results in a clear pattern of decreasing risk of unemployment for both males and females. The risk of unemployment was over four times higher in 2002 for a person with only a Primary education than for someone who had completed a Third level (degree or higher) course.

sources:

Irish Presidency of the EU website

Census 2002 - Principal Socio-Economic Results

The University of Dublin | Trinity College website

Országos Közoktatási Intézet website

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The text was composed by using the relevant materials of...