Andrew Brady from Patrick Street, a student at Coláiste Mhuire, submitted an individual project asking if Ireland needs a new second level curriculum.

BTYSE: Andrew’s ‘deep dive’ into Irish education system

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Do we need a new second level curriculum?

This was the question posed by Coláiste Mhuire sixth year student Andrew Brady, who carried out what he termed "a deep dive into the Irish Second Level Education System" for the competition.

Andrew’s conclusion is that the curriculum does need to change.

"While Irish schools are among the best in the world, there’s still a lot that can be improved," he says, explaining that the model in use has been pretty much unchanged since 1921.

"Schools need to evolve and right now, that is not happening," he says, and his conclusion is that schools should focus more on teaching practical skills that equip people for life, such as changing a tyre or cooking a basic meal.

"There should be more on life skills, on caring. School is meant to prepare you to be an adult and it fails on that main goal."

A finding that surprised Andrew was that while 81 per cent of students felt school did prepare them for life, 61.9 per cent of teachers felt their own education had not prepared them for life.

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