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Ireland
Ireland as a state
From Wikipedia:
Ireland (Irish: Éire, Template:Pronounced) is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was first partitioned on May 3 1921. It is bordered by Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and by the Irish Sea to the east. Legally, the term Republic of Ireland (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann) is the description of the State but Ireland is its name.<ref>Article 4 of the Constitution of Ireland and Section 2 of the Republic of Ireland Act 1948.</ref>
In the early 20th century, Ireland became the successor-state to the Irish Free State. Ireland was one of the poorest countries in Western Europe and had high emigration. The protectionist economy was opened in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the European Community (now the European Union) in 1973. An economic crisis led Ireland to start large-scale economic reforms in the late 1980s. Ireland reduced taxation and regulation dramatically compared to other EU countries.<ref name="workforall">"EU: Causes of Growth differentials in Europe", WAWFA think tank</ref>
Today, the Index of Economic Freedom ranks Ireland as the world's third most economically free country. This liberalisation has transformed Ireland into one of the fastest growing, richest, most developed and peaceful countries on earth, having the fifth highest gross domestic product per capita and the eighth highest gross domestic product per capita considering purchasing power parity,<ref>List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita</ref> and having the fifth highest Human Development Index rank. The country also boasts the highest quality of life in the world, ranking first in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality-of-life index. Ireland was ranked fourth on the Global Peace Index. Ireland also has high rankings for its education system, political freedom and civil rights, press freedom and economic freedom; it was also ranked fourth from the bottom on the Failed States Index, being one of the few "sustainable" states in the world. Ireland has emerged as an attractive destination and foreign immigrants who now make up approximately 10% of the population. Ireland's population is the fastest growing in Europe with an annual growth rate of 2.5%.
Ireland is a member of the EU, the OECD, and the UN. Ireland's policy of neutrality means it is not a member of NATO, although it does contribute to peacekeeping missions sanctioned by the UN.
For more see Republic of Ireland.
Ireland education
The education systems are largely under the direction of the government via the Minister for Education and Science (currently Batt O'Keefe, TD). Recognised primary and secondary schools must adhere to the curriculum established by authorities that have power to set them.
The education systems in Ireland are complex due to a confusion of ownership, control and curricular assessment. This has arisen because the systems developed over long periods of time with variable influence by several key players, including the Irish state.Template:Verify credibility Unlike in countries such as France, Ireland's state education system is largely limited to the content of the curriculum, although this too is mediated by voluntary interests.Template:Verify credibility The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Ireland's education as the 20th best in the world, being significantly higher than the OECD average.<ref>http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf</ref>
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (University/College) level education are all free in Ireland for all EU citizens.
Ireland higher education
Ireland virtual campus activities
Ireland-UK links
Given its proximity to the UK and perhaps in the new climate of cross-border collaboration, it might not be very surprising if Ireland became interested in benchmarking e-learning.
There is an intriguing reference to a course on benchmarking e-learning standards at University College Dublin.
For other UK home nations and countries
Within the UK
Outside the UK