Cannon urges Leaving Certs to look forward to future with confidence

Calasanctius College welcomes visit by Education Minister

The magnificent seven for Super Sabrina — Sabrina Sheridan who got seven A1s in her Leaving Certificate being congratulated by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, at Calasanctius College Oranmore, yesterday (Wednesday). Photo:-Mike Shaughnessy

By Martina Nee

As more than 3,000 Leaving Certificate students in Galway received their long-awaited examination results yesterday Minister for Training and Skills, Ciarán Cannon, urged them to “look forward to the future with confidence” and to continue to engage with the education system.

The Fine Gael Galway East TD made the comments while congratulating the 2,965 students in Galway who sat the Leaving Certificate as well as the 93 students who sat the Leaving Cert Applied programme, adding that they should be very proud of their achievements.

Speaking yesterday, Minister Cannon said: “As Minister for Training and Skills I hope that you will continue to engage with the education system, whether through the higher education sector or the further education and training system. This will equip you with the skills and knowledge to fulfill your potential and contribute to the growth of our economy.”

Meanwhile, Minister for Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn took a visit to Calasanctius College in Oranmore to meet teachers and students receiving their results yesterday morning.

Minister Quinn sent his congratulations to the 55,815 students who sat their Leaving Certificate across the country this year, adding that he hoped the results would “reflect the work they have put into their studies over the past two years”. Minister Quinn also expressed his delight that this year saw the highest number of students ever sit the higher level maths; 22.1 per cent of all maths students took the higher level paper, compared to 15.8 per cent last year. He added that there was “no doubt that the 25 bonus points for all those who achieve a D3 or higher had made a significant impact as has the continued roll-out of Project Maths”. This year also saw the number of students taking higher level Irish increase by almost 11 per cent compared to last year.

Minister Quinn concluded: “The Leaving Cert is a significant rite of passage in Irish life and will open new doors of opportunity in education and training for our young people. However, it is not the only avenue into the next stage of your life. While many will be awaiting the CAO announcements next week, I would also encourage those who may be disappointed with their results to seriously consider the other options available to them such as further education level 5 and 6 FETAC awards. These offer fantastic opportunities and also an alternative route to higher education, if that is your wish.”