Number sitting Leaving Cert rises

The number of students staying in school to complete their second level education has risen dramatically and is now at its highest rate on record, according to a new report.

The Department of Education study found the percentage of second level students who sit the Leaving Cert had risen by more than 6 per cent to 87.7 per cent.

The report, published on the department's website today, assessed the retention rates of pupils who entered the first year of the junior cycle in the years from 1991 to 2004 and completed second level schooling no later than 2010.

It showed that the number of young men remaining in secondary school had risen by 11.7 per cent to 82.4 per cent in eight years. Despite the rise, there was still a gap between the sexes 86.5 per cent of females completing second level.

Welcoming the findings, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn said: “"I am particularly pleased to see the high number of young men who are now completing their Leaving Cert exams. This is a very welcome development”.

However, he acknowledged the figures may, at least in part, reflect the downturn in the labour market.

But he suggested measures taken by the department such as the extra resources for school completion programmes were also likely to have improved retention rates.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) described the findings as a "morale boost" for the Irish education system.

"The fact that Irish schools have one of the highest retention rates in Europe reflects the fact that Irish parents and students value the importance of education and are very satisfied with the quality of education being provided,” the union's general secretary Pat King said.

A break-down of the figures showed Co Longford had the highest retention rate in the country at 89.4 per cent, followed by Mayo at 88.6 per cent.

Limerick City had the lowest retention rate (77.6 per cent), followed by Dublin City (80.1 per cent) and Cork City (80.6 per cent).

The report also found the proportion of early school leavers in Ireland last year was 10 per cent, down from 13 per cent in 2004.

The latest data on early school leavers for all 27 EU member states in 2009 shows Ireland, with 11 per cent, well under the EU average of 14 per cent, and 16 per cent for the original 15 EU states.