Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The standard of the leaving certificate examination is well-recognised throughout the world. I do not intend to change the entire leaving certificate system to suit 14% of students. I will try to preserve its strengths for the 86% of students who go on to sit the examination. Obviously, I have to ensure the 14% of students who tend to fall out of the system and do not get an opportunity to develop their skills are given some options. Deputy O'Sullivan has quite rightly identified the leaving certificate applied programme, which is very successful and focussed, as one of those options. It should have much more status in society because it is challenging for those students who do it. I would support any proposal to extend the programme, thereby ensuring that more students get an opportunity to pursue it. The programme can be of benefit to students who have behavioural problems. A curriculum of this nature would help not only to tackle their academic needs but also to address the matters which are giving rise to their behavioural difficulties in school.

I did not set out a timetable for the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's recommendations because, as I made quite clear at the time, I do not agree with all of them. For example, I do not agree with the proposal to make transition year part of an integrated three-year senior cycle programme. I am in favour of transition year remaining as a stand-alone year so it can continue to offer opportunities to young people to explore other interests and areas of work, to make choices which will help them in their future careers and lives and to develop other skills. I have asked the council to prioritise the standardisation of transition year modules to encourage more schools, particularly more boys' schools and disadvantaged schools, to introduce it.

The council recommended that students should do a significant number of short courses, but I do not want them to do all the short courses. I asked the council to prioritise enterprise education, which we need to focus on. I suggested to the council that rather than looking at second components in every subject, it should focus on those subjects in which there are particular difficulties. We need to address the issues with mathematics, for example, so I have asked the council to prioritise that subject. I have also asked it to focus particularly on science areas and the Irish language. I have asked the council to get back to me quickly in respect of such priority areas. I would be interested in implementing some suitable proposals in those areas. Not all of the wide-ranging proposals which were submitted last year are ready for timetabling. I did not agree with some of them in any event.

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