REACTION:MINISTER FOR Education Ruairí Quinn has welcomed the increase in numbers taking higher-level maths in the Junior Cert exam.
He said last night he was “particularly pleased” to see more young people were sitting higher-level maths – a stated aim of Project Maths. This increase had occurred even without the “carrot” of bonus points for maths, whose introduction this year at Leaving Cert level saw a large leap in the numbers opting for the higher level paper.
“I hope this is an indication of where we are going with maths,” he said.
Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) president Gerard Craughwell pointed out that while 34,757 students took Junior Cert French, the totals for German (9,470), Spanish (6,698) and Italian (436) remained considerably lower.
“There has been much discourse on the importance of boosting science and maths within the education system,” Mr Craughwell said, “but it is has become somewhat lost in this debate that modern languages are also hugely important in terms of meeting economic needs. There is clear concern at the relatively low numbers of language graduates being produced.
“Indeed, in a meeting with TUI this summer, the German ambassador stressed the increasing opportunities for employment with German companies both in Ireland and in the German-speaking regions of Europe.”
Irish Business and Employers Confederation head of education policy Tony Donohoe called for radical reform of the Junior Cert.
“An overhaul of the current overcrowded, rigid and subject-based curriculum, with teachers taking on the responsibility of assessing their own pupils, is long overdue. . . Science must be designated as a core compulsory subject,” he said.
Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, appealed to those in charge of Junior Cert reform to be courageous in their approach.