Why does the Irish Education system force me to learn subjects that I wont need for m

Because you are a child, and 100% of adults will tell you that being able to speak a foreign language is a fantastic tool and can create more opportunities for you, be it travel, living abroad or employment.

Because secondary education is not supposed to let you do your favourite subjects just because you like them. Its meant to give a broad base of knowledge so you have more oppurtunities in the future. I would change Irish into an option and stop it being mandatory though.

thisisadamh wrote: »

If I do emigrate I will choose an english speaking country like the US, UK, South Africa etc

Well, if you go to the US, Spanish is increasing in popularity so you may have to learn that. South Africa has 11 official languages so again, you may have to learn a language so getting some of the basic methods of learning a language in school may be a good thing :rolleyes:

how else are employers going to sort out people like OP from the smart kids ? It wouldnt be much of a system if everyone just did the thing they can tolerate most

When I was your age, I hated onions, now I like them.
When I was your age, I wanted to be an archeologist, now I'm not.
When I was your age, I lived in a town bigger than Dublin, loved it, and never wanted to leave. Now I'm living here in Ireland, away from my home country, and in a remote countryside cottage.
You don't know what you'll want when you'll be "bigga", so you just learn what you're offered, and come back to us in 15 years.
And best of luck with them years btw.

I agree, did french and irish in school (honours french and pass irish) and never use either. Im a scientist.
the purpose of secondary school is to stress you out and make you think its the end of the world.
truth is college is soooo different, totally different system of learning.

but because you you cant vote or change government policy when your in secondary school, you are stuck my friend.

there is a light that end of the tunnel, and its not the train. hang in there, it will be worth it when you get your course and finally get to study the subjects you want

To have a variety of knowledge. I suppose to get a broad education. I know its a pain that you have to do subjects you are forced to learn but some subjects would be required for going to college. Students are lucky to have options subjects at all in their leaving cert some might have a choice others might not depending what school they go to. Some have to do a foreign language and have no choice others might. The likes of Irish I think should be an option, maybe do it as a subject but not as an exam subject but its an exam subject cause colleges require it there is no getting away from it, if you want to go into a job that requires Irish then no luck there I'm afraid. As Irish citizens its a requirement. The other solution is the option of doing a foreign language instead of Irish. Its unfair I know but in the real world it might stand too you!

I'm the opposite to you OP, I like languages (bar Irish) and I can't stand maths.

I agree with you on some level, if you have an adequate grasp of English to be able to communicate effectively and to be able to understand what you're being taught in physics, writing essays about the techniques of Shakespeare seems pointless. As for Irish, well, the practical use of it is virtually non-existent after school unless you intend teaching it or becoming a politician in a rural area.

A modern language however has its uses. What if you decide to live abroad in a European country, a basic grasp of the native language would be handy to build upon, no? It would make you look more attractive to prospective employers if you at least knew some of the language of the country you live in, as opposed to staring at them blankly when they speak to you in French.

Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to make more subjects optional after the Junior Cert, especially Irish, and in a subjects place you can take up another that's more relevant to what you want to do after you finish school. It seems to make more sense to me rather than forcing me to do a language I won't use after the leaving cert (Irish) and a subject I know I won't do anything further with after I leave school (maths).

While I love the Irish language I really hated the fact that it took up so much school time I could've used to get better at french instead which may be of use to me in industry. My french is now almost passable whereas my irish is absolutely dirt poor.

Pace2008 wrote: »

****ing joke that someone studying 3 science subjects in school has to set valuable time aside to learn the subtleties that differentiate the Finíocht and the Ruríocht if they want to get into many of the better colleges.

Happily (or not!) demand for science subjects is low so these students needn't worry.