Vol. 487 No. 2
90 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will make science a compulsory leaving certificate subject in view of the fact that the importance and benefit of science will determine many of the advances to be made in the next millennium. [3553/98]
The approved course for recognised senior pupils in the case of the established leaving certificate programme must include Irish and four other subjects from among a list of 30 other subjects. Candidates for the leaving certificate examination normally take six or seven subjects of which English and mathematics are chosen by virtually all candidates.
Within this group of 30 subjects there are five science based subjects: physics, chemistry, physics and chemistry, biology and agricultural science. I do not propose to make the study of any one of these five science subjects compulsory for the leaving certificate.
