Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The compulsory nature of Geography in Voluntary Secondary schools is historical in origin and relates back to the time when it was compulsory in the Intermediate Certificate.

While Science is an optional subject for the Junior Certificate, uptake has been consistently very high, with 87% of the entire junior cycle cohort sitting the examination in the Junior Certificate. 91% sat Geography in the 2008 Junior Certificate examination.

There are no plans to make science compulsory at junior cycle given the importance of curricular choice in ensuring that students have access to a balanced range of options in keeping with their interests and abilities. It is considered more important that as many students as possible should be motivated to remain in school to completion of upper second level education, and curricular relevance and choice have a key role to play in this.