[TAG] Issue #106

[Jimmy O'Regan]

Thomas Adam wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 28, 2004 at 02:16:02AM +0100, Jimmy O'Regan wrote:
> 
> 
>>Sounds like the Junior Cert here, except Irish is also a mandatory 
>>subject (though I took 6 "optional" subjects instead of 5). We also had 
> 
> 
> Oh, they were mandatory for us. I meant "optional" in the sense that we had a
> choice.

That's what I meant too.

> 
> 
>>weekly religion classes, and another weekly subject that was called 
>>"Pastoral Care", "Civics", or "Social Studies" depending on the teacher 
>>(though it was basically a free period, or the time when homework was done).
> 
> 
> Ah yes... "PSE" (Personal and Social Education). Everything from how to wash
> to having sex. Although the teacher I had for that was a complete bastard and
> so there was no escaping from doing the set lesson.

 From time to time we had a well meaning teacher try to do that too - 
that's what I meant by "the time when homework was done". My English 
teacher used to ask me if he should take his time checking homework so 
I'd have time to do it. I think I wrote a proper length essay at home 
once coming up to Christmas - he acted as though it were Christmas, at 
least :)

> 
> 
>>That's kind of like the Leaving Cert, except (as the name suggests) most 
>>people aren't allowed to leave school before they sit it. (It's more of 
>>a taboo than law, but I only know 3 people who left school without it).
> 
> 
> It's not compulsory that one takes or actually decides to pass any GCSEs,
> either. If that's what you want then you'll end up cleaning the streets for
> the rest of your life. OTOH, there is also a link between lack of GCSEs and
> localised crime in certain locales. Although I make no further comment there.

There's a link between low academic performance and crime, true enough. 
The problem is when people see the link and think "cause and effect" and 
leave it at that, or even tackle it as that.

> 
> 
>>There's the difference. You can't get into any college here without the 
>>Leaving Cert.
> 
> 
> You'd be hard-pushed to do the same here, although many colleges will offer
> GCSE resit courses, if one does not want to go back the school they were
> initially at.

Oh, forgot to mention that there's a transition year available in most 
schools here after the Junior Cert, for anyone who wants an extra year 
to prepare for the Leaving Cert. I forgot about it, because no-one went 
for it in my year.

> 
> 
>>I don't think colleges or universities have entrance requirements here - 
>>courses have, but not the college itself (though this might not be true 
>>for colleges that don't receive government funding).
> 
> 
> No no -- I meant that only from the viewpoint of a course, not a University
> per se. (You'd never go to University for anything other than a degree, or
> post-graduate course such as a PhD).

Ah.

> 
> 
>>>There used to be a grant system whereby money was literally given to you, 
>>>free
>>>of charge. Hmm, I wonder why this stopped. :)
>>
>>I remember when that happened - it was just after Blair came into power 
>>wasn't it? I remember there being a huge sense of betrayal attached to 
>>it, so it must have been :)
> 
> 
> Indeed. :|
> 
> It's interesting, Jimmy. I'd never really considered Ireland would have a
> different education system to England. Scotland, however.....

Well, I wasn't as surprised. We get a lot of British TV over here :) I 
have about as much awareness of the GCSEs as I do the American SATs 
(i.e. they exist and are not how we do things :)

> 
> -- Thomas Adam
>