Maths and science failures must be tackled, says Hanafin

Emily Beament

Surrounded by screaming girls clutching their results papers at Sion Hill Dominican College, Blackrock, the minister said the priorities were to look at the maths curriculum and encourage more students to take science courses.

Ms Hanafin said it was very exciting to see the high pass rate in science subjects at the school and congratulated the girls. “The world is their oyster in the Irish economy with all the jobs available to them,” she said.

She agreed with business organisation IBEC’s concerns that changes were needed to address a high failure rate in maths and acknowledged the high failure rate in biology.

But she pointed to an increase in the number of students gaining A grades in physics and said it was important to encourage more students to take science subjects.

She rejected calls to abandon foundation level maths.

“I don’t agree with getting rid of the foundation level because everybody needs an opportunity to take maths at their own level,” she said.

She urged students not to get yesterday’s results out of proportion. “Today is not either the beginning or the end of their lives or their career, there are huge opportunities there. Thousands can do courses of their own interest and further their careers.”

This year a record three students achieved nine A1s.

“What that shows is that the education system obviously helps not just the average student, or the weaker student we are helping with special courses, but also the high fliers and obviously exams allow people to come through,” the Minister said.

She rejected calls to abandon the Leaving Cert for continuous assessment.

“I don’t agree with continuous assessment running through a couple of years because it’s very hard to have it externally examined.”

But she said she favoured some means of dividing the examination process into sections to relieve the pressure of the final exam.

In Cork, St Aloysius Carrigtwohill were celebrating the results of Kathleen Fitzgerald, one of only nine students to get eight A1 grades at higher level.

Kathleen is also one of the country’s top young athletes, having represented Ireland in shot putt.