Call to drop Leaving Cert Irish as students take on extra subjects

IRISH should not be compulsory at Leaving Certificate level because thousands of students who do badly in it take an extra subject to make up points for college, a parents group said last night.

The timetable in most schools only allows students study seven subjects but many take extra classes after school or private grinds.

Figures from the State Examinations Commission show almost one-third of this year’s school leavers sat eight or more papers. Just over 13,500 got results in eight subjects this week, 472 did nine and 10 students completed 10.