Leaving Certificate students and their families should be given further clarity on Tuesday on how Leaving Certificate exams will be held this year, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney.
As the Irish Examiner reports, members of the Cabinet sub-committee on education are meeting today to discuss options regarding the Leaving Certificate.
The options under discussion are:
- A hybrid calculated grade and written exam
- A pure calculated grade model
- One which is based on more open access to further and higher education, which would see more college places made available
Sources have told the Examiner that this model would mitigate any risk of inflated grades.
The sub-committee will make recommendations which can go to Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the "preferred option" was the hybrid model.
Simon Coveney said that Minister for Education Norma Foley is expected to bring a number of recommendations to Government on Tuesday.
He has said; “I’ve spoken to many, many families who want certainty around the exams.
“We did learn lessons from last year that we have got to give as much time as possible and as much certainty as possible for students and their families to prepare for exams or some alternative to that.
“That’s why we are anxious to make decisions a lot earlier this year, so we can hopefully address the stress levels in people’s homes linked to exams and future prospects for students going to college and so on.
“Hopefully we will be able to give some clarity on that tomorrow.”
The Government has been facing mounting pressure to make a decision on whether to press ahead with the year’s Leaving Cert in its usual format.
Last year’s exams were replaced with predicated grades.
Among the options being considered is to give students a choice between a written exam and calculated grades.
As talks contine, students who need to take an additional exam or complete a portfolio as part of their college application must have their courses selected by this evening.
The CAO deadline is at 5:15pm, and any student who wishes to go to third level must get their CAO number or else face a fee later this year.
Speaking to Beat news, Irish Second- Level Students Union officer for Carlow/Kilkenny, Doireann Broderick says the uncertainty is crippling for students.
"They are under a lot of stress. They are very stressed about the idea of having to go in and sit an exam and maybe catch Covid there and bringing it home to a family member, getting Covid and not being able to sit their exams. There are a lot of different stresses and anxiety around that."
She says the mental health of students is forgotten about.
"Their mental health has not been taken into account by the department. The department have just completely forgotten about, or it seems like they have anyway, about students well being and students mental health, and students are really, really struggling at the moment."
