Extra year may help maths and mechanical and technical drawing students

When you compare the Junior Cert maths to the Leaving Cert maths, there is a radical difference in quantity and difficulty to what has to be learned.

The same applies to mechanical drawing (Junior Cert) and technical drawing for the Leaving Cert (their names in years gone by — I believe their equivalents today are technical drawing for the Junior Cert and design and communication for the Leaving Cert).

Many hours and energy in the thinking department is asked for when getting a handle on these subjects, and if a student hits a dead end, this can turn him or her off all or most of their schooling. If they had an extra year, it may help.

I propose that at the end of second year students should have the option of the Junior Cert higher level maths and mechanical drawing exam. Upon getting an A or B, they should proceed with the Leaving Cert course in third year.

This means they have three years in order to get on top of their brief, plus they have the advantage of been forewarned with requisite knowledge for physics and chemistry and applied maths when they enter their fourth year in school.

If you want to encourage students to have a crack at the higher level maths in the Leaving Cert, just simply let the scholars sit both lower and higher level separately.

This then widens the pool for the universities to recruit from their entrance exam (the Leaving Cert).

I also think it would be more productive if the first Monday of every school going month was a day off for students and teachers to recharge their batteries.

Obviously, many are provided by public holidays, but another five are needed, and maybe a sacrifice of one of the mid-term breaks would help this cause.

On a final note, for the young people who hate school for whatever reasons, don’t mix up this hate with learning. Learning is for life, and knowledge is not the preserve of professional teachers.

Jemmy Barron

Dundalk Homeless Hostel

Barrack St

Dundalk

Co Louth