Sir, – I am a Leaving Certificate student who, owing to cardiac issues, has not seen the inside of a classroom since March 2020. While I am fortunate enough to be able to avail of online learning, the reticence of the Government to countenance the prospect of calculated grades and to acknowledge the effects of this pandemic on students’ mental health is nothing less than callous and inexplicably baffling. For a great deal of students such as those in my position, whose time in class has been severely limited across fifth and sixth years, the ship of sitting a “traditional” exam has well and truly sailed.
It stretches belief that such notions as pushing the examinations back – only drawing out students’ anxieties – or even vaccinating healthy students at an earlier juncture to facilitate Government’s bullish insistence on these examinations, were floated in Cabinet.
At this moment, there is an abundance of time for an appropriate system of calculated grades to be devised, which I believe to be the measure most appropriate, but time is of the essence. The Government must act, and act with compassion, and it must act now. – Yours, etc,
CORMAC DONOVAN
O’NEILL,
Ballinhassig,
Co Cork.
Sir, – I would like to respond to Carl O'Brien's article stating that the Leaving Cert is "narrow and inflexible" and should not be held in view of the delayed reopening of schools ("Plan for 'traditional' Leaving Cert pushes obsession with the exam to new levels", Analysis, Education, January 18th).
It’s a misconception that the Leaving Cert is a simple regurgitation exercise. As Leaving Cert teachers and examiners will attest, the student must not just demonstrate excellent knowledge of their subject, but must also have the ability to marshal key information and to respond to the exam questions in a coherent and well-argued way. These are valuable skills which will be useful in any workplace.
Furthermore, students need motivation to study and having an examination to aim for provides this. If predicted grades replace the Leaving Cert, many students will not feel the need to do much further study on the basis that their teacher already has their grade in mind.
This would be a pity as the January lockdown is providing a valuable number of weeks for teachers to support and mentor students and for students to self-manage their study time, come to grips with key concepts, and organise their notes. Current educational theory is in favour of self-learning. The next few weeks can provide an ideal opportunity for students to build on this aspect of their learning. – Yours, etc,
ANNA KIRBY,
Ballyviniter,
Mallow,
Co Cork.