The Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has welcomed new figures showing the number of students staying in school until the Leaving Cert has hit a record high.
Figures published by the Department of Education show that almost 89% of boys and nearly 92% of girls who entered secondary school in 2005 and 2006, sat their Leaving Cert last year.
In particular, the number of young men staying in school has risen dramatically by 16%.