Vol. 427 No. 6
294 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Education the origins and purposes of the Senior Certificate Examination; the number of schools where the senior certificate examination is an education option at senior cycle; if her attention has been drawn to the national campaign to retain the programme; and if she will make a statement in relation to her intentions for the future of the programme.
The Senior Certificate programme is a two-year senior cycle course which has been approved as an option for second-level schools as an alternative to the leaving certificate course.
It was designed primarily as a course of study for transition from school to working life for pupils who do not want to do the traditional leaving certificate and feel suited to a course which is more practical in content.
The course was developed over a period of eight years by Irish teachers and research officers under a European programme on the transition from school to adult life and introduced in 1984.
A school must have the prior approval of my Department to offer the programme. It is in operation in 61 schools at present.
Some schools conducting the programme have indicated a strong desire that the senior certificate option be retained and actively promoted.
As I indicated in my reply to Question No. 556 on 10 February 1993, the future of the senior certificate will be considered in the context of the future structure and content of the senior cycle of second-level education. This matter is discussed in the Green Paper on Education and will be further considered in the light of the views expressed by the various interested parties.
