Education System in Ireland

Ireland, the third most largest European island and the twentieth-largest on Earth, falls towards the north-west of Europe. The geography of the island comprises of flat mountains which surrounds a plain with passable rivers extending inland  The Ireland and Great Britain, together with many nearby smaller islands, are known collectively as the British Isles.

The national system of primary education in Ireland was set up in the year 1831 as a vision by Lord Stanley with its main objective “Students of all sects were integrated into one national school system.”

Education has always been highly valued in Ireland. Even during the historic times of economic, social and political difficulties, the importance and desire for education was very much evident. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the prevailing social and political climate was such that many Irish people had to go abroad to access higher education, using the Irish Colleges network. This debt was more than repaid later by the great diaspora of Irish missionaries, scholars and teachers to the English-speaking world over the last two centuries.

The Ireland Education system at present is regarded as a central plank in the social, economic and cultural development of Irish society. There is a high level of public interest in educational issues in Ireland, which has been further developed by the approach adopted by the Irish Government in the formulation of education policy. Irish pupils perform in the top sectors in international studies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) PISA evaluations. Employers, both national and international, affirm the quality of graduates from the Irish education system.