Letter to the Editor “Irish Mail on Sunday”, August 26, 2007.


A NUMBER of questions need to be examined when seeking to understand
why girls are outperforming boy in exams (MoS Letters, Aug. 19).
For instance. Do as many boys avail of the transition year option as girls?
Do boys tend to leave school a year earlier than girls and so gain a year’s
head start on the career ladder?
Do more Leaving Cert boys than girls have part-time jobs?
Are there gender differences in the drink and drug youth subcultures.
These are questions that need to be researched honestly.
Progress is often made by the ability to question new answers rather
than to answer old questions.
And one other simple question – are boys any happier than girls?

Michael Mernagh,

Carrigaline, Co. Cork