Vol. 293 No. 1
asked the Minister for Education if he will consider restoring Music at honours level as a subject for the leaving certificate as its removal will affect students who have worked over the past four or five years to build up their standards to this level and deprive them of a possible number of points on their leaving certificate results.
109.
asked the Minister for Education why his Department have recently reclassified the leaving certificate Music subject as a common level subject; if he is aware of serious concern among parents, students and teachers about this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle it is proposed to take Question Nos. 108 and 109 together.
The position in regard to Music, as to all subjects of the curriculum for the intermediate and leaving certificate examinations, is that, with due notice changes are made following recommendations from syllabus committees representative of teachers' organisations, managerial associations and the relevant university faculties as well as representatives of the Department of Education. There was complete agreement when the new syllabus in music and musicianship was introduced in 1974, for examination for the first time at leaving certificate level in 1976 and dissatisfaction has not since been expressed with the syllabus as such. The difficulty which has arisen is that university authorities have not accorded the same recognition in the allotment of points for results on the common paper which was recommended by the syllabus committee as they do for results on higher course papers. This matter has been taken up by the Department with the university authorities.
