Labour has asked the Minister for Education to make a clear policy statement on the role of grinds in the education system after an ESRI report showed 25 per cent of Junior Cert students are paying for extra tuition.
Ruairí Quinn, Labour's new education spokesman, said: "the finding in the report that students who take grinds do not derive any benefit, would bear out the contention that overall, the standard of teaching available in our second-level schools is excellent. In that case, what is the function of grinds?"
The report - the latest of a series tracking the experience of second-level students in 12 schools - says 25 per cent of students, mostly from middle-class backgrounds, are taking grinds outside school, mainly in maths.
It also states that many students become more negative about school and their teachers as they move into Junior Cert year at age 15. It calls for more interactive teaching.
It says performance in the Junior Cert exam can be linked to the overall performance of the school and to the organisation of classes.
Tim O'Meara of the Teachers' Union of Ireland said the concept of interactive teaching demanded resources.
According to the report, up to one in four students can feel alienated from the school environment.
Those most at risk include boys from a less well-off background and those who are streamed in classes where academic expectations are low.
Like several earlier reports, the ESRI study tends to be critical of the educational worth of the Junior Cert; it says it is difficult to see the value in some students taking 10 subjects or even more.
