Continuing high failure rates in ordinary level maths and in science subjects at ordinary level are the most striking features of the Leaving Certificate results published today. In all, more than 4,500 students failed maths, making them ineligible for admission to many third-level colleges.
In another worrying trend, some 15 per cent of students failed ordinary level chemistry with the failure rate also high in biology (13 per cent) and physics (9 per cent).
The poor performance of so many students in maths and the sciences, and the relatively small number taking these subjects at higher level, is disappointing for Government, industry and many teachers. It is a pattern which sits uneasily with lofty talk of the Republic as a leading "knowledge economy". The Government and business leaders have tried to cajole more students into opting for maths and science but to little avail.
It may be that something more is needed. There has been some talk - but no more - about some kind of new incentive, such as bonus points for maths and science. Certainly, dramatic action is needed to arrest the fall-off in student interest in these key subjects. At present, students tend to cast around for the subjects that maximise their CAO points for the minimum of effort. As a result higher-level maths and science subjects are often excluded. Only 9,000 students (less than 20 per cent of the total) took higher level maths in this year's Leaving Cert exam.
That said, there are hugely encouraging trends in the Leaving Cert results. The introduction of project work in history and geography has helped to raise standards and reduce failure rates in both subjects. Foreign national students taking a range of languages in the exam including Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian are securing very good grades; some 75 per cent of those taking Russian at higher level secured an A1.
The good news for students receiving their results today is that the so called "points race" has eased considerably in the past decade. Competition will continue to be intense for courses such as law and medicine, but three-quarters of students will secure one of their top three CAO choices. With the numbers taking the Leaving Cert (51,000) at a historically low level, the pressure on CAO points could ease for many courses. In a reversal of the pattern of the 1980s, it is now the colleges which are under pressure, rather than the students. Many third-level institutions will struggle this year to fill available places.
For students, the situation could hardly be more positive. Against a strong economic backdrop, there is now a staggering array of options available across the third-level system. And fewer students are chasing more places. It is no exaggeration to say that the class of 2006 will have more employment, educational and career opportunities than any previous Leaving Cert group.