Irish adults have much poorer reading skills than those of other developed countries.
That's according to a major global report on education and skills published by the OECD.
The report says even college graduates from Ireland have poorer literacy skills than their counterparts in other developed nations.
While the reading skills of over-55s are broadly in line with the OECD average, the percentage of 25-to-34-year-olds with high literacy skills is almost three times lower than in Finland.
That's despite Ireland having one of the highest rates of graduation from secondary school - and the third-highest level of investment in each student's education.
The report also finds that Ireland has slightly higher pupil-teacher ratios than other developed countries, and that Irish teachers are well paid by international standards - although they work more hours than their counterparts elsewhere.
It also says Ireland lags behind its rivals in early childhood education - with only 42 per cent of three-year-olds in some sort of education, compared to a 70 per cent average across the OECD.
