Almost 5,800 teenagers became the first students to sit a
State exam in religion yesterday morning. The Junior Certificate papers in
Religious Education are part of a three-year pilot programme in the subject. Religion
will be a Leaving Certificate exam subject in 2005, by which time around 400
schools are expected to have students taking the Junior Cert exam.
Yesterday's higher level paper was well received by most of the 19 students who
sat it at Lough Allen College in Drumkeerin, County Leitrim.
Donal McGrail from Dowra thought he did well and hopes to get an A or near it,
even though he found some of the questions a bit awkward: "I found the
course very interesting, it should give people a broader view of different
cultures and religions and make them more open-minded."
His classmate Anthony Mulvey also enjoyed the three-year course and was pleased
with his performance yesterday: "There was a good choice of questions but
it was long, there was almost too much paper to write on."
Their teacher, Una Killoran, the Teachers Union of Ireland subject
spokesperson, agreed that the 19-page paper was a bit lengthy for already tired
students, but she said it was in keeping with the sample papers they had been
given up to now.
David Martin, ASTI religious education spokesperson, said the paper should
encourage more young people to take the subject and maybe consider it for the
Leaving Certificate.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm about the Leaving Cert syllabus, many teachers
are in favour of it and things should be more positive after this paper,"
he said.