MORE THAN 50 per cent of Junior Cert students, aged 15 or 16, are taking private grinds costing about €40 per hour.
A new survey shows the “grinds culture” continues to exert a huge influence in second-level education in Ireland; more than 60 per cent of Leaving Cert students are also taking grinds.
The latest figures do not include the huge numbers also attending expensive grind schools such as the Institute of Education in Dublin, where full-time fees are more than €6,000 a year. Schools such as the institute also charge heavily for weekly grinds in particular subjects and special pre-exam courses at Christmas and Easter.
Teachers say the focus on rote learning in the Irish exam system is largely responsible for the increasing demand for grinds.
Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is planning a major overhaul of both the Leaving Cert and Junior Cert with a greater stress on critical thinking and continuous assessment.
At present students are examined on “what they can recall rather than what they know”, he said.
The survey found huge support among students for more continuous assessment with 94 per cent believing it a fairer means of assessing performance.
The new figures – from the study skills group, Student Enrichment Services – also tracked study patterns among exam students.
The main findings include:
* Leaving Cert female students spend more than 20 hours a week studying or doing homework, four hours more than their male counterparts.
* Junior Cert female students spend more than 15 hours on study and homework a week, four hours more than their male counterparts.
* The most conscientious Leaving Cert students are likely to be female and from Munster, reflecting the strong Leaving Cert results especially in Cork.
* Girls have outperformed boys in virtually all Leaving Cert subjects in the past decade.
The survey is based on a poll of 700 second-level students who attended study skills seminars. Broadly, these students would tend to deliver above-average exam grades.
On sport, the survey found that female participation declined sharply after the Junior Cert; by Leaving Cert year, half of students are involved in sporting activities. Male participation is higher, at 66 per cent.
Part-time working appears to be less popular – or perhaps less available – to students. Fewer than 20 per cent of those surveyed had a part-time job in Leaving Cert year.
Encouragingly, 92 per cent of those surveyed indicated they were happy at school. Asked if they would change anything about their school, most favoured changing to a co-ed model. There was also strong demand for a change in school uniform.