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The Minister of State for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD, has sent his congratulations to the 6,786 Junior Certificate students in Cork who are receiving their examination results today.

Out of a national total of 59,823, 3,334 female and 3,452 male students in Cork sat the exams in June.

Minister Sherlock said: "I want to congratulate all the students in Cork who are receiving their Junior Cert. results today."

This year, schools involved in the pilot Project Maths initiative sat exams in all strands of the new programme. For the first time, students in mainstream schools were examined for the first time in elements of Project Maths.

The Minister was particularly pleased with the increased proportions of students opting for higher level Maths; 52% of students took higher level Maths as opposed to 48% in 2012.

He said: "Increasing the uptake of higher level Maths is one of the explicit aims of Project Maths and this greater uptake is to be welcomed.”

The Department of Education and Skills has implemented a range of measures to support the continued roll-out of Project Maths. These measures include the prioritisation of Continuing Professional Development for all second-level Maths teachers, and the provision of a greater amount of time for the teaching of Maths at both primary and post primary levels.

The Minister also welcomed the increased uptake in higher level Science, which now stands at 79%, saying that “it is an important step in continuing to build Ireland’s knowledge economy.”