The ESRI is calling for a "sea change" in the way secondary schools teach - after its study found that school-leavers feel under-prepared for the demands of third level and the labour market.
The think-tank says there needs to be a renewed focus on project work and meeting deadlines - instead of the "teacher-directed" learning of the Junior and Leaving Cert.
Over 90 per cent of higher-education students surveyed said their learning experience was "Very Different" to school - with little over a half of them saying their schoolwork prepared them for college.
Report author Emer Smyth says significant change is needed - and the planned junior cycle reform is the first step towards that:
