Vol. 541 No. 4
148 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the pupil-teacher ratios which apply in third level colleges; the way in which these compare with international standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22995/01]
One of the indicators set out in the 2001 edition of the OECD's "Education at a Glance" is the ratio of students to teaching staff based on 1999 data. Ireland's students to teaching staff ratio for all tertiary education is 17.3. This ratio can be compared to a country mean ratio of 15.3. The range in the reported ratios of students to teaching staff is from a low of eight in the case of Iceland, to a high of 26 in the case of Greece.
The Deputy should note, however, that the OECD advises that such international comparisons at tertiary level should be treated with some caution as it experiences difficulties in calculating full-time equivalent students and teachers on a comparable basis.
