Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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58. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will expand on comments he made recently when speaking at Tullamore College, County Offaly, when he said that science would be compulsory if there were laboratories in each of the State's 723 post primary schools; and the measures he intends to take to address this matter. [25398/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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In phasing in implementation of junior cycle reform, from 2014 onwards, English, Mathematics and Irish will remain core full subjects for all students. 18 additional subjects, including science, will continue to be available. Overall, I am in favour of schools deciding what junior cycle programme they will offer, mindful of the need to reflect the interests of their students. Curricular choice has been shown to be an important factor in strengthening retention rates to completion of senior cycle in school.

Good and enthusiastic science teachers have the opportunity to inspire a real interest in their subject and so ensure that pupils will want to study science. In 2012, for example, 89.5% of students sat the Junior Certificate science examination. My Department has developed an online inventory facility to enable schools to provide information about their accommodation, including science laboratories and when all schools have completed the inventory this information will be available.