Opposition parties today expressed disappointment at results in Leaving Cert maths and science subjects.
More than 4,300 students failed maths in the exam and failure rates in science subjects were far higher than in other subjects.
Fine Gael innovation spokeswoman Deirdre Clune said the results in maths, science and business were disappointing. "In some cases there has been a clear deterioration," she said. “Take-up in honours maths is down, the failure rate is up, and the general outcome for science subjects is not what a smart economy demands.
“These results do not deliver on those ambitions. There are plenty of opportunities to achieve a smart economy, but the silence from the Government is alarming.”
Labour Party education spokesman Ruairí Quinn called for “fundamental reform” of the maths and science subjects in the Leaving Cert.
Mr Quinn congratulated all those who had achieved “such outstanding results” in the exam, but he said it was “extremely worrying” that 4,360 students had failed maths.
“We have neither the time, nor the economic space, to travel the low road of incremental improvements,” Mr Quinn said.
He welcomed the new Project Maths programme, which was examined for the first time this year and which is to be extended.
But Mr Quinn said as much attention had to be paid to how maths is taught and learned, as to curriculum content. “This means reforming teacher in-service training that focuses on students, understanding and problem-solving skills, not just getting through the course.”
He said the skills of maths teachers also needed to be addressed.
Mr Quinn urged those who may not have achieved the grades they hoped for to “take pride in what they have achieved rather than feeling a sense of disappointment and to remember that many, many people go on to have successful and fulfilling careers, despite exam results that were below expectation”.
Sinn Féin education spokemsan Senator Pearse Doherty congratulated those who received their results today and said the time had come "to reflect on how relevant the Leaving Cert is to today and to make progressive changes".
"Society in the 21st Century needs thinkers and doers. Everyone agrees that Leaving Cert is very much about rote learning with little emphasis on practical tasks and problem solving," he said.
The organisation Engineers Ireland said that instead of criticising maths teachers, industry needed to do more to support them to teach maths "in a manner that helps students fully engage with the real-life applications of the subject".
Director general John Power said the preliminary data for Project Maths was "encouraging".
"However, it will be two to five years before we have any meaningful data on the initiative and with 41 per cent of ordinary level students in the Engineers Ireland survey last week believing that higher level maths is too time consuming, what is needed is greater support for teachers."