Students and teachers in Clare and across the country are anxiously awaiting details of the expected cancellation of the Leaving Certificate Exams.
Cabinet Ministers have met to discuss the proposals, and the cancellation of the exams is expected to be confirmed shortly.
The cabinet met this morning to call a halt to efforts to continue with the Leaving Cert.
An end-of-July date had been set for the State exams, but this afternoon an announcement will be made in the next hour confirming their cancellation.
The change in approach comes after pressure built in recent weeks from teachers, students and politicians to call it off in the wake of the public health emergency.
Under the plans, it’s likely a system of predictive grades will be given to students in lieu of physical exams.
Some schools now look likely to draw up methods which will see students’ Leaving Cert results based on their performances over the past few years.
Niamh McDonnell is a teacher of Leaving Certs at St. Caimin’s Secondary School in Shannon where they have already come up with an algorithm to determine the results of their Junior Cert students.
It’s thought that students who aren’t happy with the grades given will have the chance to sit a written exam, but that may not be available until late this year or into 2021.
Student at Coláiste Muire, Eleanor Dagnall-Wise says that while she’s happy the exam has been cancelled, she believes that that type of appeals process poses a number of problems.
Attention will now turn to what will happen next for those looking to go on to third level in college, and how they’ll be allocated their places in courses.
Deputy Head of the School of Education at UL Dr. Geraldine Mooney Simmie thinks courses should be opened up to any student who wants to go for them.
Michael Glynn, Clare FM, first for local news.
