asked the Minister for Education if she will allow a person (details supplied) in Dublin 9 to sit his intermediate certificate examination at Plunkett School, Whitehall, Dublin, as he was refused originally on the grounds that he was under age; and if she will make a special concession in this case.
Written Answers. - Intermediate Certificate Examination Applicant.
840.
The rules governing the age of transfer to post-primary school and of entry to the certificate examinations were drawn up after consultations with the various interested bodies. The rules allow the intermediate certificate examination to be taken at 14½ years and the leaving certificate examination as early as 16½ years of age. I appreciate the Deputy's concern in the case of the individual pupil concerned but I trust that it will be appreciated that in the general interest of pupils in connection with the maintenance of standards it is necessary to prescribe a minimum age limit for admission to the intermediate certificate examination.