Another fall in the numbers choosing to repeat Leaving

Following the trend of recent years, the numbers choosing to do the Repeat Leaving Cert (RLC) has fallen again this year.

In 1995 there were almost 8,000 students enrolled to repeat but this has steadily declined since the six-year second-level cycle was introduced in 1997. Similar to last year's figures, the drop in student numbers repeating was just over 1,000, leaving a total of 2,743 students who chose the repeating option this year.

There are a number of factors influencing the decreasing numbers of those choosing to repeat.

Some school-leavers want to have the immediate financial reward that going straight into the workplace offers them. Others choose PLC courses, sometimes described as "two-and-a-half-level" courses, which offer a wide choice of vocational training and in many cases the opportunity to continue on to a third-level qualification.

There are an increasing number of courses available at the different universities and institutes of technology. The choice available to students of 10 degree and 10 cert/diploma courses means that they are likely to be offered at least one of their listed preferences.

So why do people still choose to repeat their Leaving Cert and is it a worthwhile year?

"Some students just don't put the work in and others only realise after the event just how difficult the exam is," says Julie Kilmartin, Principal of Bruce College in Limerick. "They want a chance to do better if they misjudged how much study they needed to do."

This year could be the first in a while that sees a slow down in the steady decrease in the numbers applying to repeat, as Kilmartin reports that she has already had a lot of inquiries from concerned parents.

"What has been expressed to me this year is the uncertainty parents feel about the effects the strike action may have had." One typical reason for repeating the Leaving is to gain extra points if you have just missed out on a course you are keen to do, says Kilmartin.

"Some students will simply not have put in the work or will have found it hard to settle down to study seriously. The vast majority of students who are repeating under those circumstances will improve their points for a course of their choice. During the year and at holiday times they receive extra classes in study skills - that helps to motivate them. At the end of it all they feel the year really helps improve their confidence."

There have been many reports throughout the year telling of the high dropout rates from third level courses at various institutions. Harry Ryan, RLC course co-ordinator and assistant principal at Plunkett College, Dublin, has been involved in teaching and career guidance for RLC students for the past 31 years. He stresses how important it is for students to receive proper guidance about choosing courses at third level. "If someone has not received the points they had hoped to in their exams, I feel it is very important for them to honestly consider their options. Sometimes it is a far better idea to take one year to repeat and improve upon your marks, rather than to settle for a course that you are not wholly committed to and which you will drop out of a few months down the line," he says.

One benefit of repeating, which students and teachers both cite, is the increase in confidence and the opportunity to mature that this year offers. "A repeat year can be viewed as a stepping stone between school and college. There is such a great mix of people - you can have a 73-year old doing a third-level access course studying alongside an 18-year-old school-leaver and you can find someone who didn't pass their Leaving studying with someone who gained 510 points. The students are given support and encouragement but they are all treated like adults," says Ryan.

Everybody deserves to have a second chance and Mary Lonergan, principal at Rathmines Senior College, Dublin, stresses the importance of dealing with each student individually to assess how to make best use of that chance. "It is important to undertake a personalised guidance interview with students to assess their capabilities and work out the best choice of subjects for them - there is no such thing as being a number," she says. "A student may have had family or personal difficulties during the year of their Leaving and they need to know that they will have support to achieve their own potential the next time around."

Many colleges offering RLC courses have tutorial structures, study plans and assessments to help students see what they are achieving themselves and to help them if they are slipping behind. One thing all of the educators above agree on is the need to make the exam a priority for the year. "I very strongly advise students and parents that working part-time, particularly if it involves late nights, is something that should not be undertaken while trying to study for the Leaving Cert," says Kilmartin.

While study may take a priority sports, debating and social activities are all a part of the repeating process. Ryan sums up: "A year repeating should not be looked at as a waste of time or a misery. The students come back to us time and again to say how much they got out of the year and the results show there is no doubt that the vast majority really benefit from a second chance."

For information on application and forthcoming interview times contact Bruce College, Limerick, tel: 061 416 811; Plunkett College, tel: 01 837 1689; Rathmines Senior College, tel: 01 497 5334.