Leaving Certificate - Vital to ensure strong talent pool

In the global economy it is important that outside concerns about the Leaving Certificate results in this country should be addressed.

Joanne Richardson, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, warned that American business people are concerned about the continuing decline in the performance of Irish pupils in the area of mathematics.

Our educational system is a key to attracting and retaining foreign direct investment in this country. It is vital that we have a strong talent pool coming out of our second-level schools, and entering our third-level institutions. There were positive signs from the results of the students in the 24 schools that took the first examination in the pilot scheme for Project Maths this year. More students sat the higher-level paper and the overall failure rate was distinctly lower.