Madam, - It is perhaps inevitable that interested parties will seek to present the best possible gloss on the statistics contained in the latest 451-page OECD document, Education at a Glance. However, it is important in the interests of balance and accuracy that the following facts should be noted. Firstly, contrary to received opinion, Irish second-level teachers teach the sixth highest number of hours per year out of 25 OECD countries surveyed at upper secondary level. At lower secondary level, Irish second-level teachers teach the 13th highest number of hours out of 31 countries.
Secondly, in relation to teachers' salary, it should be noted that all Irish second-level teachers are required to teach to upper secondary level. This important fact was not referred to in any of the analyses. At the top of the salary scale at upper secondary level, Irish teachers are paid 2 per cent above the OECD average.
Given the need to continue to recruit, retain and motivate high quality teachers, which Ireland continues to do (unlike some other EU countries), and given that our expenditure per second-level pupil relative to GDP per capita is almost at the bottom of the OECD table, it is surely fair to say that our second-level teachers are delivering a high quality education to the next generation. In a knowledge society, expenditure on education is investment in our future and the Budget in December should reflect this. - Yours, etc,
JOHN WHITE,
General Secretary, Asti,
Winetavern Street,
Dublin 8.