Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

On this, the first day of the State examinations, every Deputy joins with the Minister in wishing all students undertaking the junior and leaving certificate examinations every success. Am I correct in believing that the State Examination Commission published figures during the week showing that this year will see the lowest number of students ever to undertake higher level maths? This is a cause of concern, as it is even lower than the previous low recorded in 2007. The programme for Government commits to introducing a bonus points system for maths linked with specific maths or science courses to encourage participation in courses where skills shortages exist. Has the Minister made progress in this regard?

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