The Minister for Education Mary Hanafin today urged students who had done well in science and technology in their Leaving Certificate to pursue third level courses in those subjects.
More than 57,000 students were able to collect their exam results today, which the State Examinations Commission (SEC) said were broadly in line with previous years.
|
Ms Hanafin said she was happy with the results and congratulated all students for their grades, which she said reflected the hard work of young people and teachers, as well as the support provided by the students' families.
"This is an important milestone in many young people's lives," she said. "It can be a time of celebration and relief, mingled with anxiety as many school leavers consider their future options. No matter what the results are, every young person must realise there is a world of opportunity awaiting them."
There was an overall drop in the number of students sitting the Leaving Certificate on last year, with numbers falling 2.2 per cent to 57,422.
Chairman of State Examinations Committee Jimmy Farrelly, congratulated all the candidates who were receiving their results today. "The Leaving Certificate examination is a demanding test requiring dedication and hard work from candidates and support and encouragement from those around them," he said.
"The receipt of these results is an important milestone in life and students, parents and teachers should be proud of their achievements. "I wish all of this year's candidates well in their future studies, in their careers and in whatever they choose to do next."
He also urged students to maintain a sense of proportion over their exam grades and to be proud of their achievements.
"The commissioners and I would like to extend particular congratulations to those candidates who sat their examinations under difficult personal circumstances.
"We would also like to offer our sincere sympathies to those parents, relatives and friends for whom the issue of these results will act as a sad reminder of the loss of their loved ones," he said.
Teenager Tara Whelan had just completed her Leaving Cert when she was killed in a terrorist bus bomb in Turkey, while girls at two Navan schools had to sit their exams shortly after the bus crash which killed five of their school mates.