Fall in numbers returning to education for exam

Almost 59,000 teenagers get their Junior Certificate results today, but numbers returning to education to sit the exam have fallen by more than a fifth in just three years.

The State Examinations Commission is issuing 59,823 students with grades in 26 subjects through schools and colleges. However, while those who sat the June exams in traditional school settings are up 1,138 (2%) to 58,936 since 2012, there is an 11% drop in those defined as re-entrants to education.

There are 887 students in this category, which covers people entered for the Junior Certificate through schemes like the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme and the Back to Education Initiative. They will also receive their results today.