Yates’ education comments contested

IVAN Yates makes several assertions (Opinion, September 1), some of which are completely false, some of which need to be put in a proper context, and some of which defy logic.

He states that teachers are allowed 21 days absence without certification. This is misleading nonsense. A teacher may not exceed seven sick days in a year without a medical certificate.

He wheels out OECD indicators which show Ireland in a bad light in terms of literacy and numeracy skills, yet neglects to mention that we languish 30th out of 33 OECD countries in terms of investment in education.