Private schools in Ireland are performing no better than their publicly-run counterparts, a new study has claimed.

The Irish Times reports that a study comparing 15-year-olds' results in maths throughout several developed countries found that, when all factors are taken into account, free school pupils can be seen outperforming privately educated students.

It noted that, while average test scores are higher for fee-charging establishments, when the effects of their more selective admission policies are considered, this is actually reversed.

Professor Danny Pfefferman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who authored the study, told the newspaper the research clearly showed public schools in Ireland can deliver better results than private institutions.

Dr Kevin Denny of University College Dublin's Geary Institute said the findings are interesting and called on the Department of Education to conduct more studies into this area.

Recently, a survey by Bank of Ireland in association with Schooldays.ie revealed 84 per cent of parents believe public education standards are just as good as private schools at primary level, although this dropped to 61 per cent for second-level establishments.

Written by Donal Walsh
 

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