Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The bonus points system for maths is an exercise in entrenching inequality in the education system. This year, 12,500 of the more than 50,000 who sat maths in the leaving certificate examinations got an extra 25 points. Many of them just got a grade D and they are getting into courses for which they might not necessarily be equipped. That only 7% of Irish ten-year olds are learning a foreign language as opposed to 75% in Britain is a stark statistic. Did the fact that Google raised this issue have more to do with this than the overall quality of education in Ireland? Does the Minister accept students coming out of the system have a very poor level of English?

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