Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 132: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the percentage of students at second level who complete the leaving certificate examination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7901/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The most recently published analysis by my Department of retention rates at second level which was released in August 2003, indicates that for the 1994 cohort of students, the adjusted senior cycle retention rate is 81.8%. My Department's approach to addressing the issue of retention in schools comprises legislative and curricular reforms as well as interventions to prevent early school leaving. The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. With regard to curriculum reform, my Department's strategies have included widening the educational experience available to students through such programmes as the junior certificate schools programme, the leaving certificate vocational programme and the leaving certificate applied.

The school completion programme directly targets those in danger of dropping out of the education system and is a key component of my Department's strategy to discriminate positively in favour of children and young people who are at risk of early school leaving. It is important to note that education and training provision is available outside the school system for young people who leave school earlier in programmes such as Youthreach, Youth Encounter and by FÁS.