RECORD NUMBERS of Leaving Cert student are taking private grinds, according to new research.
Almost 70 per cent of students are now taking grinds, compared to just over 50 per cent a decade ago. The figures do not include the huge numbers also attending expensive grind schools like the Institute of Education in Dublin, where fees are in excess of €6,000 per year.
The grind schools also charge heavily for weekly grinds in particular subjects and special pre-exam courses at Christmas and Easter.
The grind schools culture has been strongly criticised by the teacher unions. John White, ASTI general secretary, says there is little hard evidence to suggest that grind schools generate better results than "free" schools within the State sector.
The latest figures - from the study skills group, Student Enrichment Services - shows a continuing boom in grinds. It is now common for Leaving Cert students to pay an average of about €40 per hour for private one-on-one grinds.
While girls continue to avail of grinds to a greater extent than boys, the number of boys getting private tuition has increased from 45 per cent to 63 per cent since 1997.
Grinds are most popular with 6th year girls in Dublin and 6th year boys in Connacht. The subject most in demand for extra tuition was maths, followed by Irish.
The survey is based on a poll of over 1,000 second-level students who attended seminars in various colleges, including UCC, NUIG and UL.
Surprisingly, the survey showed that students were spending less time on study and homework over the past decade - even though exam grades had improved significantly during this period.
Study time was down from 10 to eight hours per week for girls and for boys from an average of seven to six hours a week over the past 10 years. On average, today's student is also spending two hours less per week on homework than the class of 1997.
The survey also shows an increase in part-time work among students.
One in three boys in the Leaving Cert cycle are working, compared with just one in five a decade ago. However, part-time jobs among female students fell from 44 per cent to 32 per cent.
Regarding the examination system, 93 per cent of students believe that continuous assessment would be a fairer way of evaluating their five years of learning, rather than the current exam system.
