Sir, – Will Breen (Letters, April 4th) and Sally McDonald (April 5th) both suggest that a smaller number of Leaving Certificate subjects in the mould of the UK A-Level system would allow students to choose subjects that were relevant to their intended courses of third-level study. Such a system presupposes that most 15- or 16-year-olds can make informed decisions that may impact their future educational prospects.
At that age I had little idea of what I would study at third level, but the opportunity to take such diverse subjects as English, maths, history, and chemistry (none of which I pursued at third level) provided me with a broad education and transferable skills for which I am grateful. Even so, I would not choose again to put myself through the trials of studying for and sitting the Leaving Certificate, and I acknowledge the need for a reform of this system that serves students better, while also providing a workable model for teachers.
The nature of the modern jobs market means that third-level study is seen widely as a course of preparation for a chosen career, and the increasingly specific vocational nature of new undergraduate courses reflects this. A reform of the Leaving Certificate that limited rather than broadened the opportunities it offered would be a disservice to the large number of young people who don’t have their careers mapped out at the age of 15 or 16, and who would benefit (as I did) from the opportunity to choose a diverse range of subjects.
A broadening of the system to offer shorter modular courses in a wide variety of subjects alongside a smaller number of “major” subjects would allow students a broader educational experience, and would, I hope, help to address Ms McDonald’s concern about students dropping out of university. – Yours, etc,
DAVID M O’SHEA,
Harold’s Cross,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – As suggested by Will Breen, our Leaving Certificate system needs reform. However, we should be reluctant to adopt the suggestion that we follow a style similar to that of the British A-levels, where students focus on three subjects that they selected when they were 15 or 16 years old.
Most of us do not know what career path we seek to follow at such a young age, and this system can do more harm than good.
Similar to the International Baccalaureate, the variety that Irish students are afforded in subject choices allows them to make a more informed decision when deciding on a university degree. Our reforms should instead be concentrated on the allocation of 25 extra points for passing higher-level mathematics.
Why should an excellent humanities student – who wishes to pursue an essay-writing degree – be discriminated against because they struggle with maths? We should instead compile a diverse list of subjects which would provide the student with 25 extra points. These points should be available to claim only once in the event that the student takes more than one of these subjects, but this reform will consequently even the playing field for students. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK J HICKEY,
Rathgar,
Co Dublin.
Sir,– There is an opinion doing the rounds that the number of subjects taken for the Leaving Certificate should be reduced so as to reduce stress during the exams. The argument is further developed to claim that students then drop out early because they have chosen the wrong course to study. Dropping out is in fact far less likely to occur if the student has had a broad subject experience during second level. We should wait and see what the proposed changes in the Leaving Certificate examination bring about rather than sending our students down a narrower path too early. – Yours, etc,
JOHN K ROGERS,
Rathowen,
Co Westmeath.