Because of the importance of what is involved, I should like to repeat and further clarify the matter to which I referred just before Question Time. We were merely looking at schools which brought even one candidate to honours level in the leaving certificate examination in a modern language, in a science subject and in mathematics. When I say one candidate I do not mean he had to be the same candidate in the case of all three subjects. Let me repeat the results of our survey: schools under 150 pupils, 9 per cent; schools between 150 and 299 pupils, 13 per cent; schools between 300 and 449 pupils, 38 per cent; and schools with 450 pupils or over, 69 per cent.
The question of an adequate curriculum at leaving certificate level was also raised, and I shall just state what the aims are: first, the provision for higher and lower level courses in each subject; secondly, a full range of academic, scientific and practical subjects; thirdly, teachers qualified in subjects they are teaching and scarce specialist teachers who should be available to all children in the centre and not confined to one school; and, fourthly, the provision and economic use of proper facilities for the teaching of the subjects to the level required.
It is a common fallacy that because a child will normally take only seven or eight subjects, that is all that will need to be provided. This, of course, is not so. If we are to develop the varying ability and aptitudes of our children, then a reasonably wide range of options must be provided. Another slightly more sophisticated fallacy is that because a school lists a fairly large number of subjects in its programme, then all is well. The important thing is that these subjects be available at pass and honours level and that the option of taking them be available to as many children as possible and not that certain subjects be offered on a completely mandatory basis to certain children in the centre.
We are now developing an educational guidance service in our post-primary schools manned by experienced teachers with special additional training in this field. These teachers have available to them the advice and assistance of my Department's staff of psychologists. All this is of very little use if the subjects which the pupil is advised to take are not available in the school which he attends.
It has been claimed during the course of this debate that I am opposed to an independent examination board being set up. I would like to state clearly that this is not so. I told the House on a previous occasion that a departmental committee had been set up to consider the feasibility of such a project. This committee have submitted their report to me and I hope shortly to arrange for a meeting of all the interests concerned to consider the issues involved.
There was also some discussion on the question of remedial education in the post-primary sphere. Steps are being taken to provide training for experienced teachers with a liking for this kind of work. In the first term of the current school year a training course for 28 teachers was conducted by my Department in co-operation with the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee. The course was conducted on a block release basis for three days a week over a period of 14 weeks. The results of this course are now being assesed and further courses will be organised. The psychological service of my Department is available to advise schools and teachers of problems in this area. The aim is to provide remedial services in each school.
This, like so many other services, is easier and more economical to provide in reasonably large schools. Our resources are unlikely ever to be large enough to provide services such as this in small schools. There again, co-operation between schools, if it is forthcoming, would enable the service to be provided on a pool basis.
There was some discussion in relation to mathematics at the higher level leaving certificate examination of 1971. It might appear from a statement made that there were only five candidates presented for mathematics at higher level in Waterford in 1971. The fact is that there were 36 candidates presented.
My Parliamentary Secretary dealt with some aspects of the speech of Deputy Cruise-O'Brien. I would like to deal with another aspect of it. In suggesting that our system of second level education, as compared with that of other countries, is not designed to prepare students to think for themselves the Deputy seems to ignore the whole basis of our second level courses.
The purpose of the intermediate certificate examination is to testify to the completion of a well balanced course of general education suitable for pupils who leave school at about 16 years of age and alternatively to the fitness of the pupils for entry on more advanced courses of study in a post-primary school. The aim and purpose of the leaving certificate is to prepare pupils for immediate entry into open society or for proceeding to further education. It is made clear that high standards are set in this examination and it is strongly recommended that pupils should not be presented in too many subjects, not more than seven.
As to the subjects themselves and their treatment in class we find the programme emphasising again and again statements such as the following:
English Intermediate Certificate:
The aim is:
(1) To stimulate the pupils to think, to speak and to write correctly.
(2) To elicit their sincere response to their own experience of life in literature and
(3) to cultivate an understanding of and an interest in good literature.
English Leaving Certificate:
(1) To pursue the fundamental aims of the Intermediate Certificate course and (2) to equip the pupils for life after school, whether at work or in higher education,
(a) by cultivating their powers of communication
(b) by developing their judgment in relation to language, literature and life
(c) by enriching their experience of life through literature.
This is indicative of courses of study far removed from the mere inculcation of information. The Deputy may rest assured that the operation of the courses to schools is in accordance with the aims set out in the programme.
In making adverse comparisons in this respect between our situation and that of other countries, the Deputy seems to be indulging in the old illusion "Bíonn adharca fada ar na buaibh thar lear", "The faraway hills are always greener". That, of course, is not a literal translation. Without wishing to commit the same error in the opposite direction could I recommend that he study a bit more closely what the situation actually is in other countries?
May I quote from the substance of a recent statement by a Minister for Education in a European country. He said that he would maintain, notwithstanding difficulties, the objectives of the major reform announced three years before in the content and methods of teaching the programme in the home language so as to orientate the teaching to the outside world and put the emphasis on the pupils' motivation and personal expression. This was to say that what Deputy Cruise-O'Brien was recommending to us and what is actually in operation here, although he does not appear to be aware of it, is only in the process of being introduced as a major reform in another European country. I am far from suggesting in our approach here that we are superior to other countries but I am suggesting very strongly that it is quite wrong to think that we are always in an inferior position to other countries.
One of the first specific tasks which was assigned to the Higher Education Authority, when it was set up on an ad hoc basis, was to make recommendations on the question of training primary teachers in the context of the future provision for higher education generally. The authority pointed out that as the training of teachers was a wide national issue they felt they should concern themselves with the problem generally and not confine themselves to one group of teachers. Therefore, they set up a working party to identify the main problems in teacher training, to collect and analyse informed views and to advise the authority on their conclusions.
An túdarás subsequently presented their report on teacher training to me and this has since been published. The principal recommendation was the setting up of an authority for teacher training. An Foras Oideachais. I have sought the views of the various interested parties on this report and these recommendations and the various views are being considered at present.
In relation to the entrance to the training college this year with the introduction of a scheme for the recruitment of a number of mature students to train as primary teachers the obligation to repeat the leaving certificate examination is waived in the case of those who fulfil the necessary requirements for entry to that examination. This means that students who sat for the leaving certificate examination when they were too young to apply for entrance to training will be allowed to opt for that examination, under the mature students scheme, up to the age of 28 years. Similarly, students who are too old for open competition will qualify for consideration provided they have qualified in the leaving certificate examination. This point was raised by Deputy FitzGerald who was concerned about the student who was too young for entry to the training college when he did the leaving certificate examination. Deputy FitzGerald will be interested to see that such a student can now enter for the competition.