The Leaving Certificate results published today are broadly in line with those of recent years. The average student will secure about 300 CAO points.
The number achieving honours in higher level papers in most of the main subjects is strikingly similar to previous years. But there remain grounds for serious concern. The performance of many students in the key areas of maths and science are less than encouraging. In all, about 5,000 students have failed maths at either ordinary or higher level, making them ineligible for most third-level courses. There are also 5,000 more students who took maths at foundation level, which is not accepted by many colleges for entry purposes. Overall, about one-in-five of the entire Leaving Cert cohort are being severely penalised because of a failure in one subject. It scarcely seems fair that these students are effectively locked out of many colleges, particularly when maths may form no part of their preferred course.
The chief examiner in the subject says students are too preoccupied with part-time work and their hectic social lives to give maths the concentrated attention it needs. But these factors should also be suppressing grades in other subjects. It may be that a review of the content of the paper is required.
Today's results also show a high failure rate in ordinary level science subjects - biology, physics and chemistry. Almost one-in-five students failed ordinary level biology, even though virtually all would have taken this subject at Junior Cert level. The Government, industry and policy-makers have been working to arrest the decline in student interest in these subjects. New, revised, more practical and more "user-friendly" courses have been introduced but these high failure rates will do little to attract a new cohort of students.
Last night, the employers' group IBEC described the results in maths and sciences as a "hammer blow" to Irish industry. Certainly, the outcome in these subjects sits uneasily with the Government's efforts to position the Republic at the cutting edge of the new "knowledge society". As the results underline, a highly talented pool of young scientists and mathematicians sat the Leaving Cert. But there is also a large cohort who have been left behind.
It is to be hoped that the new revised Leaving Cert will provide a more inclusive exam environment. The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, has endorsed plans prepared by an advisory group which would see a greater emphasis on continuous assessment and project work. He wants the exam to be known as the Senior Cert and he is anxious to ease the pressure on students caused by the requirement that they perform in one-off exams.
All of this makes good sense. The traditional Leaving Cert has its merits but few would dispute that it tests only a narrow range of skills and knowledge. A more expansive exam - and one which is fairer to students of all abilities and with different skills - is required.