asked the Minister for Education the way in which the hourly duration of the Irish school week at primary and post-primary level compares with other European countries.
Written Answers. - Duration of School Week.
160.
The minimum length of the school week in national schools is 20 hours 50 minutes secular instruction. This is exclusive of periods assigned to religious instruction and of assembly time and recreation periods. It is generally comparable with the position in other European countries.
From the information available to me it appears that the length of the school week at post-primary level varies from country to country and ranges from 24 to 33 hours approx. Post-primary schools in Ireland provide about 28 hours of class contact time per week.