The Leaving Cert timetable, which will require higher-level English students to write for more than six hours today, must be changed for the benefit of students, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has said.
As more than 100,000 students begin their Leaving and Junior Cert exams, Ms Hanafin promised last night to press ahead with plans for a two-stage Leaving, with exams in English and Irish taken in May.
"Look at the situation facing students taking English in the first Leaving Cert exam, spending six hours and 20 minutes in the exam hall. Never again in their lives will they be asked to write so much over such an extended period of time," she told The Irish Times last night.
Ms Hanafin said she remained fully committed to a reformed Leaving Cert that was less physically draining. "There were groans from some at the ASTI [ Association of Secondary Teachers' Ireland] conference when I backed reform of the timetable. But I would say this to teachers and to school management, 'this is not about you. This is about the needs of our students.'"
Under the Hanafin plan for a two-part Leaving Cert, students would take Paper 1 in Irish and English - which in both cases is made up of essays and other "unseen" elements - in May. But the plan was strongly opposed by the joint management body, which represents most school managers, and other school management groups. They say it would present major logistical difficulties.
Ms Hanafin said she saw no reason why exams could not be staged in May. "We want to move to a situation where students in Irish and English have over 50 per cent of the marks allocated by the time the June exams come around. That would significantly reduce the level of stress on students."
The Teachers' Union of Ireland last night backed calls for reform. Its president, Tim O'Meara, said the core subjects of Irish, English and maths should be spread over the three-week exam season, instead of being squeezed into a four-day period at the beginning.
Ms Hanafin also rejected suggestions that the Leaving Cert was being "dumbed down" after new figures showed a dramatic increase in the honours rate. "Students are more focused than ever and students can now lock away marks in subjects where there is project work or practical elements. That helps explain the increased marks but there is no dumbing down," she said.
About 113,000 candidates will begin their Leaving and Junior Certificate examinations in 4,500 examination centres.
Over the bank holiday weekend, the 4,500 superintendents supervising the written examinations took possession of the boxes containing the three million examination papers that are required by candidates over the 13-day examination period.
The exams continue until June 21st for Junior Certificate students and June 22nd for the Leaving Certificate.
