Students Belatedly Offered Primary Teaching Course After Maths 'Anomaly'

As many as 13 students have now been offered their Bachelor of Education courses after the entry requirement for maths was updated.

While primary teaching courses have long required a minimum grade in subjects suchs as English, Irish and maths, the new grading system this year threw up an 'anomaly' which meant that students who recieved a H7 grade (30-39%) in higher level maths were not accepted. In comparison, those who got 40% - or an 06 grade in today's money - on the ordinary level paper were still eligible for primary teaching.

The Irish Times reports that this left a group of students with high enough points to get into at least one of the courses but they were denied because of their higher level maths grade. Indeed one student got 520 points but could not be accepted.

Minister for Eduction Richard Bruton has indiated that the entry grade will be lowered to a H7 on higher level maths from next year and the department has asked DCU and University of Limerick to accomodate those who missed out this year.

While this is good news for current Leaving Cert students who are fretting over maths, from 2019 the Bachelor of Education entry requirements for Irish will be raised to a H4 (60-70%) in higher level Irish and the minimum grade for ordinary English will be raised from an O5 to an O4.