Nearly two-thirds of Leaving Certificate students take grinds, a new survey suggests. The students, on average, pay for 2½ hours of private tuition per week at a cost of up to €45 an hour.
The survey of more than 1,000 Leaving Cert students was conducted by Student Enrichment Services, which advises students on study techniques in more than 300 schools. It found that 64 per cent of sixth-year students are getting grinds, while 45 per cent of fifth years are also taking extra tuition. Just over half of third years take grinds.
Participating students had chosen to attend weekend study seminars, which would make the study group more likely to be highly motivated.
It is not unusual for students to pay up to €45 an hour for tuition at a cost of between €2,000 and €3,000 annually, according to sources in the grinds industry.
If even half of Leaving Cert students were paying for grinds at this rate, it would make the industry worth €50 million annually.
The Catholic Secondary Parents Association called last night for teachers to declare their grind income for tax purposes. Ms Barbara Johnston, PRO for the association, said that parents were writing cheques instead of trying to change the system.
Mr John Whyte, of the ASTI, said students were taking grinds because they had fallen behind or failed to study - not because teaching was inadequate.
Need some advice when the Leaving results are announced tomorrow? Kathryn Holmquist will be one of the experts available on The Irish Times helpline (1850-200592 and 1850-200593) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow. You can also log on to the skoool.ie website, which will deal with your e-mail questions from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.