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THE LEAVING CERTIFICATE has been postponed until late July or August because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government announced the changes this afternoon, saying the Junior Cert would be cancelled, and replaced with school-based tests later in the year.
While the detail is being worked out, the decision means that thousands of students will not be sitting exams in the usual June period.
Over 61,000 students are expected to sit the Leaving Cert exam.
The announcement came following advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team.
Speaking this afternoon, Minister for Education Joe McHugh said that the Leaving Certificate exams would – under the current plan – be held in either the last week of July or early August.
The Junior Cert, he said, would take place early in the new school year. McHugh called it a “unique arrangement in response to a national crisis”.
While schools will remain closed for the foreseeable future, McHugh said today that “it is vitally important that these Leaving Cert students have some class-based school time before facing into exams”.
McHugh said that his department was working to “make that a reality”.
He acknowledged that this was a stressful time for students, but he said that he hoped today’s announcement would “alleviate some stress being experienced by students and their families”.
In response to questions from reporters, McHugh also said that it wasn’t the case that the school year was now over for students who weren’t sitting exams.
Other countries have also taken significant decisions regarding school exams. In the UK, GCSE and A-Level exams were cancelled because of the virus.
McHugh previously said that his department was still focused on written exams going ahead.
The Irish Universities Association has welcomed the clarity on state exams. “Our universities will now work with the CAO and other stakeholders to ensure that new university students can begin their studies as soon as possible after the publication of the 2020 Leaving Certificate results,” a spokesperson said.
McHugh said that he had been in contact with the UK education minister Gavin Williamson about the changes to exams, noting that a lot of Irish students go on to attend UK colleges.
Responding to the announcement, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and the Teachers Union of Ireland said that the executive committees of the two unions would meet remotely this evening to discuss how best to proceed.
The State Examinations Commission stressed that “every effort” would be made to run the exams as close to normal as possible.
In a statement, a spokesperson said that by “retaining all of the available space that was to be used for both sets of examinations”, it will be able to “reduce the number of Leaving Certificate candidates in each examination centre”.
A range of groups welcomed today’s announcement, including Education and Training Boards Ireland, the Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals.
In a joint statement, they said that the news “brings certainty for students at this difficult time”.
“We wish to assure students and their parents of the continued support of their schools in maintaining continuity of teaching and learning and engagement with the student cohort. This is a vitally important time for students to remain connected with their schools and their teachers,” the statement said.
With reporting by Dominic McGrath
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Well done,a great days labour…..a lot on here just think you go in past the 1.5million euro security hut, down past the 365 thousand euro bike shed,see the 190 thousand euro fitness instructor for an hour before going off to the heavily subsidised dail bar for a spot of lunch.
@Buster Lawless: haha buster your gas.
@james rowan: lol!( chuckle)
@james rowan: good evening sir, I have no malice whatsoever towards the lady in question and by the sounds of it you are a big fan and I respect that.
I just felt the way he put it altogether was if you like clever and I had a chuckle and hence gas.
Very well said Catherine
@Eoin O Flaherty: Too bad she isn’t as vocal about the urgent necessity to build the bypass and stop the city chocking. Nothing moves in the city most of every day. Everything going east – west and vice versa has to funnell through 3 effective bridges – 2 of which marshelled on both sides by traffic lights. 2 of the 3 bridges were built in the era of ass & carts.
@Ger Murphy: in fairness it was the Greens that put the kybosh on that.
They seem to think massive congestion is good for the environment…
One of the few politicians I admire
@Eddienowy Byrne: in fairness she’s very good.
If only we could have a 13b euro windfall……..
It’s not just Galway. The single biggest infrastructure problem in this country is our water provision and waste water systems. It’s sickening to think how much raw sewage is pumped into our rivers and the sea and the damage its doing to aquatic life and ultimately ourselves. But there’s no votes in water. Noone cares as long as water comes out the taps and they can flush the jacks.
Many of our super confident and knowledgeable politicians have missed operational careers in utilities and house building that would have our country flying
Another reason not to vote for independents who stay in opposition
She might as well howl at the moon
@James Gorman: Catherine Connolly is one of the few td’s of any integrity in the Dáil unlike many Independents who are FFG in all but name
@James Gorman: She’s a great advocate for the people Ireland. Done more with her time as a TD than most of the chancers in government ever did
@James Gorman: And yet this is a failure of government parties, not the independent TD.
If anything, this will be forced to a resolution.by the independent TD *despite* the uncaring government parties.
@James Gorman: Sorry don’t agree.. She is a good TD, has integrity and genuine desire to help her country. We need more like her.
@Hayagriva: just like your man donnelly who was elected as an independent and within a few weeks joined ff and got a job as a minister of some sort, I hope the people who voted for him remember that….
@Darth O’Leary:
She has the luxury of never having to make a decision.
@James Gorman: ah no. She’s a genuinely hard working decent politician.
@James Gorman: Catherine Connolly is one of if not the best politician in the Dail. Truthful, always polite, and honest.
I’m not in her area. Pity we don’t have more like her.
She is respectful of all yet gets her point across. She doesn’t stand at the gates for every photo op when there is something going on.
Ye can say a lot about most wasters in the dail. But she is a good one.
@James Gorman: If she howls at the moon, the moon would listen.
Probably most of the problem comes from vast amounts of rainwater going into the sewage system overwhelming the capacity to safely treat?
Imagine bragging that you completely failed to secure proper funding for your local council during 17 years and blaming the government.
@Alex: but the councils around the country have been charging development levies on new builds since 2006,to pay for all the infrastructure and the house tax since 2013 was another boost to the budgets. So what are they doing with all the money? Pi§§ING it up against a wall like the opw
@P. V. Aglue: not even a wall in the bike shed to piss up against.
Great spot for speech and waffle where no accountability ever happens,reminds me of match of the day were they just talked pure s#### for a while to pass time. Except in there it’s large salaries and expenses talking about problems and not solving them.
The bikes are getting pissed on now as we post.
Well spoken and highlighted but, this situation should also be voiced by and come from the Galway Councillors as it did originally. Unfortunately at the moment some of the Councillors are lost in mediocre or even lesser drum beating like shipwrecks on the shore, or the inconveniences of the Chamber moving to Mervue. Should the situation as outlined by you not be dealt with, then there will be more than Ships on the Shore !
have your say