Revealed: Investment in third-level education is down

INTERNATIONAL research shows that investment in third-level education has dropped here — something the Government would argue about.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report reveals a fall in the proportion of national income spent on higher education, from 1.5% of national income in 1995 to 1.2% in 2005, when the average in developed countries was 1.5%.

As university presidents and other third-level managers lobby for increased spending to reverse what they describe as cuts to per-student funding over the past decade, the figures in Education at a Glance 2008 could increase pressure on the Government.