An Ennis principal is calling for the Government to provide more college places for the Leaving Cert class of 2022.
It comes as Education Minister Norma Foley has confirmed this year’s assessments will be based on exams only and will not adopt any hybrid model.
The Junior Cert is also set to go ahead for the first time since 2019.
The Cabinet has signed off on a return to the written exam format for this year’s Leaving Cert, although there will be greater question choice on all the papers.
There will also be a reduction in the number of questions to be answered on each paper.
The news comes despite the Children’s Ombudsman, sixth year student groups and opposition parties having called for a hybrid model like that used in the past two years.
Minister Norma Foley says they looked at many proposals to re-run hybrid or estimated grades – but decided they couldn’t do it fairly.
However, the decision has prompted a backlash from the Irish Second Levels Students Union, whose own survey had suggested two thirds of exam students wanted to adopt a hybrid approach.
Clare’s Regional Officer with the union is describing the move as ‘unfair’.
MollyJane Sweeney, who attends St Joseph’s Secondary School in Tulla, says it will lead to panic choices in CAO applications, with the closing date for them falling today.
There are suggestions that a major factor in the Government’s decision was fears around grade inflation and the availability of college places.
A Shannon-based guidance counsellor, though, believes many courses are already out of reach for students due to elevated results over the last two years.
Fiona Christie of St Caimin’s Community School in Shannon says it’s already leading to lots of anxiety among pupils.
An Ennis principal wants the Government to ensure more college places come on stream to allay some of the fears being expressed by Leaving Cert students.
Around 4,500 extra places were set aside by the Department for Further and Higher Education in 2021 in a 24 million euro investment.
Fr Ignatius McCormack, who’s Principal at St Flannan’s College in Ennis, says a random draw for college places this year must be avoided.
Full details of the changes to this year’s State exams will be published next week.
