Ireland's UN SDGs 2019 - Report on Indicators for Goal 4 Quality Education

In post primary schools, for the 2005 entry cohort onwards, the rate of retention at second level refers to the percentage of entrants to Junior Cycle in a given year who completed second level with a Leaving Certificate, including those who left the state-aided system to complete their Leaving Certificate in another institution, and also factors in those students who left the country or died in the period under consideration. 

Prior to the 2005 entry cohort the estimated rate of retention at second level corresponds to the estimated percentage of entrants to Junior Cycle in a given year who complete second level with a Leaving Certificate (including Leaving Certificate Applied) in publicly-aided school. 

The adjusted retention rate took into account estimates for students who sat a Leaving Certificate in a private non-aided school.  Estimates were also made for students who left the country or died in the period under consideration. 

For all entry cohorts educational pathways outside the publicly-aided school system such as Youthreach and apprenticeship training are not taken into account. 

The proportion of students who entered second level school in 2004 and subsequently went on to sit the Junior Certificate was 94.5% and this rose to 97.4% for students who started second level school in 2010.  The proportion of first year entrants who went on to sit the Leaving Certificate rose from 84.5% in 2004 to 91.2% in 2010.  See Table 2.2.

More than 98% of students who entered first year in 2012 went on to subsequently sit the Junior Certificate in Monaghan, Sligo, Kilkenny, Kerry, Tipperary and Cork.  At the other end of the scale, less than 96% of students who entered first year in 2012 subsequently sat the Junior Certificate in Longford and Offaly.  The overall figure for the state was 97.6%. 

The retention rate to Leaving Certificate level for the cohort who started second level in 2012 was above 93% in Kerry, Sligo, Mayo, Meath and Waterford while it was below 90% in Longford, Carlow and Wicklow.  The overall retention rate for the Leaving Certificate was 91.5%.  See Table 2.3 and Map 2.1.

The proportion of 15 year olds who were students was 98.7% in 2016, and this proportion drops as age increases.  By age 18 years, 81.5% of the population were students, and this proportion drops to 68.2% for 19 year olds and 61.1% for 20 year olds.  By age 24, just 16.5% of the population were students.  See Table 2.4 and Map 2.2.

Nearly nine in ten (88.1%) 15-19 years olds were students in 2016 compared with 39.5% of those aged 20-24 years.  Females are more likely to be students.  In the age group 15-19 years, 89.8% of females were students compared with 86.5% of males.  By age 20-24 years, 41.2% of females were students compared with 37.8% of males.  This pattern was observed in each region in Ireland.  See Table 2.5.

There were 427,128 students or pupils in Ireland in 2016 aged 15 years or over.  Just over half (50.6%) were female.  Nearly 55% of these students lived in Leinster while just 6% lived in Ulster (part of).  See Table 2.6.

In the CSO Survey on the Impact of COVID-19 on ICT Usage in Households (March 2020), the proportion of individuals aged 16-74 years doing an online course in March 2020 was 14%, up 4 percentage points since 2019.  Slightly more females (17%) than males (10%) did online courses.  Nearly one in four respondents were using online learning material other than a complete online course with very little difference between males and females.  There were 13% of people communicating with instructors or using educational websites/portals, with slightly more females (14%) than males (11%).  See Table 2.8 and Figure 2.2.

Younger people are more likely to undertake online learning activities.  In March 2020, 19% of those aged 16-44 years  were doing an online course, compared with 13% of those aged 45-59 years and just 6% of those aged 60 years and over.  The proportion of people aged 16-44 years using other online learning material was 32% in March 2020, compared with 24% of those aged 45-59 years and just 8% of those aged 60 years and over.  About one fifth (21%) of 16-44 years olds were communicating with instructors or were using educational websites/portals, compared to just over one tenth (12%) of those aged 45-59 years and zero people aged 60 years and over.  See Table 2.9.

People at work were more likely to be engaged in online learning activities in March 2020.  Of those people at work in March 2020, 17% were doing an online course compared with 8% of people not at work.  Online learning material, other than a complete online course, was being used by 29% of people at work compared with 12% who were not at work.  The proportion of people at work who were communicating with instructors or students or using educational websites/portals was 14% compared with 10% of other people.  See Table 2.10.

Just over half of people (53%) aged 16-74 years who used the internet in 2019 had installed software or apps in the last 12 months, while about half (51%) had used word processing software or copied or moved files or folders.  People who carried out the listed computer or software related activities in this table were more likely to be male.  Results showed  58% of males who had used the internet had installed software or apps compared with 49% of females.  The computer or software related activates listed here were more likely to be undertaken by younger people and students.  Also, 67% of 16-29 year olds had used word processing software compared with 34% of 60-74 year olds, while 70% of students had copied or moved files or folders compared with 32% of retired people.  See Table 2.11.

Results for March 2020 show nine in ten people aged 16-74 years, who had used the internet in the last three months, had sent or received emails.  About eight in ten people had used internet banking or instant messaging over the internet.  There were also high levels of people finding information about goods and services (77%), reading or downloading online news (76%), telephoning over the internet (74%) and obtaining health related information (72%).  Watching Youtube type content was more likely to be done by men (77%) then women (62%).  Men were also more likely to play or download games (36%) then women (24%) and were more likely to read or download online news (82%) then women (71%).  Women were more likely to use social networking (73%) than men (63%) and were also more likely to obtain health related information (76%) then men (69%).  See Table 2.12.

All of the internet activities listed in this table were more popular among young people, with two exceptions - using other health care services instead of visiting a doctor and accessing personal health records.  Virtually all (99%) respondents aged 16-44 years in March 2020 had used email in the last three months compared with 80% of those aged 60 years or over.  Internet banking was used by 97% of those aged 16-44 years compared with 63% of those aged 60 years and over.  The two activities with the largest difference between younger and older people were playing/downloading games or watching Youtube type content.  About nine in ten people (91%) aged 16-44 years watched YouTube type content compared with about four in ten people (44%) aged 60 years and over.  Playing or downloading games was done by 55% of people aged 16-44 years compared with 12% of those aged 60 years and over.  See Table 2.13.

About nine in ten (91%) of households in 2019 had internet access.  The highest rates of internet access were in households with two adults and dependent children at 99%, while the lowest rate of 77% was in single adult households.  See Table 2.14.

In Dublin, 96% of households had internet access in 2020, followed by the Mid-East at 95%.  The lowest rate of internet access was in the West at 87%.  See Table 2.15 and Map 2.3.

Every person aged 16-29 years in March 2020 had used the internet within the last three months compared with just 45% of those aged 75 years and over.  Half of respondents aged 75 years and over had never used the internet, but all respondents aged under 45 years had used the internet.  See Table 2.16.

The highest proportion of people aged 25-64 years with third level education in 2019 was in Dublin at 57% followed by the West at 47%.  In the Border and South-East regions only 37% of people had third level education.  See Table 2.19 and Map 2.4.