Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 September 2021
127. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the measures she is planning to take to ensure that spending is at least brought into line with the OECD average of 4.9% of GDP in view of the recent OECD report that ranks Ireland lowest in education spending; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45644/21]
View answer158. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education the current and planned investment in primary and secondary education in the context of recent findings of the OECD report Education at a Glance 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45669/21]
View answer186. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the actions she will take to increase education spending to bring Ireland up to at least the OECD average of 4.9% of GDP given that according to the OECD, Ireland has the lowest spending on education out of 36 countries at just 3.3% of GDP. [45682/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 127, 158 and 186 together.
There are various expenditure measures presented in the OECD’s most recent Education at a Glance, and expenditure as a percentage of GDP is just one of them. Ireland has consistently argued that, given the well-known measurement issues with GDP due to globalisation effects, an alternative measure should be used. This is acknowledged in the methodological notes of the report which notes that in 2016 Ireland produced a modified estimate of the gross national income (GNI*) that was recommended by the Economic Statistics Review Group and which is designed to specifically exclude these effects.
An alternative measure of government commitment to education spending can be seen in our measure of public expenditure on education as a percentage of total public expenditure, which in 2018 stood at 12.6%, well above the OECD average which stood at 10.7%. Ireland was ranked tenth for this indicator in the OECD report.
With regard to funding for education it should be noted that in the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future, this Government is committed to building a world class education system.
Over recent budgets, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools, enhanced supports for school leadership and an improved staffing schedule in primary schools. This is in addition to the significant COVID-19 financial resources provided in 2020 and again in 2021 to allow schools to operate in accordance with the latest public health guidance.
In the context of Budget 2022 we will continue to aim to deliver on the commitments set out in the Programme for Government, to meet demographic and other pressures in the school sector and to support and sustain our schools, their staff and our students in the face of the ongoing significant challenges posed by COVID-19.
