In Ireland, children are not required to start school until the age of six.

When they due

enter they begin in the First Level Education, also referred to as Primary. The level after is the
second level, also known as Secondary. The enrollment number for first level in the school year
2014/2015 was 544,696 students and the number for the 2015/2016 school year the enrollment
was 533,380 children. The enrollment number in the second level for 2014/2015 was 339,207
students. The enrollment number for the 2015/2016 school year was 345,550 students. (The
Department of Education and Skills).
The number of students in primary did drop slightly, but that could be because of a drop
in the amount of children who were at the starting age. The enrollment numbers for secondary
did rise from the previous school year. These statistics, provided by The Department of
Education and Skills, shows that Ireland is taking the correct steps to ensure they are hitting the
first initiative of putting every child in school.
The quality of learning in any given country should always be working towards
improving. In Ireland there are certain goas that they plan to meet in different levels of
schooling.
The general aims of first level education are:

to enable the child to live a full life as a child and to realize he or her potential as

a unique individual
to enable the child to develop as a social being through living and co-operating

with others and so contribute to the good of society.

To prepare the child for a continuum of learning (Department of Education and
Science).

These goals that are set in place are enhancing the learning experience these students are having
at the primary level. They do have their normal curriculum that focuses on things such as,

language and mathematics, but these goals go beyond that. IN school children should be getting
a we rounded education. They need to be taught lessons that will not only help them
academically, but in other situations in their lifetime. Ireland is teaching their young primary
students that they can be anything that they want to be in life. They are teaching children to have
determination and that is a very important skill to have. They are also teaching them how to
interact with one another and they are taking these social skills all throughout their lives as well.
The students in Ireland are also learning how to be global citizens. There is an
organization in place named, Suas. This organization is helping Irelands youth become educated
global citizens. Based on our values, we design programmes which are designed to inspire,
educate and engage young people. We believe in the concept of understanding yourself, how you
work with others and understanding the context within which you work. Our programmes enable
young people to choose their level of engagement depending on their current commitments
(Saus). The organizations main mission is education. They see the positive change that the
countrys youth can make and they are helping make the positive changes. With places such as,
Saus, in place in Ireland it shows how the country is is helping their students foster global
citizenship by seeing the need and making a positive change in places outside of the country.

References

A Brief Description of the Irish System. (2004, January). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/A-Brief-Description-of-the-IrishEducation-System.pdf

Global Citizenship. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.suas.ie/globalcitizenship

Key Statistics 2014/2015 and 2015/2016. (2016, June 30). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Key-Statistics/Key-Statistics-2013-2014.pdf

Key Statistics 2013/2014. (2014, June 30). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from
http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Key-Statistics/Key-Statistics-2013-2014.pdf