Friday will see the annual drama of Leaving Cert results day played out again in households across Ireland. It is a nerve-jangling moment for students, whose futures may be decided by a few single letters; and it is an anxious time for parents who hope their children will go on to realise their career dreams.
This year’s candidates have had a challenging adolescence. Their secondary education was disrupted by Covid-19, with its corrosive legacy of closed schools and online learning. For many, the Leaving Cert was their first experience of a State exam following the cancellation of Junior Cycle exams. Their results today speak of commendable resilience and personal determination.
Minister for Education Norma Foley says her decision to ensure this year’s grades were artificially inflated to match the high level of recent years was in recognition of these challenges. They had climbed during Covid years with the introduction of teacher-predicted grades. The concern was that a return to pre-pandemic grades would disadvantage this year’s cohort in the points race for college places.
The decision comes at a cost. The sheer volume of high grades makes it more difficult for higher education institutions to differentiate between candidates for high-demand courses. The increased use of random selection to award places in recent years is a symptom of this. The Minister has, belatedly, promised a “phased” return to normal grades from next year onwards. While unpopular with students, this is necessary to protect the integrity of the grading system.
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The need for change in the Leaving Cert remains as pressing as ever. Tech-savvy teenagers, used to choice and independence, too often sit passively. Students are drilled to produce perfect answers to potential questions based on marking schemes. The result is that students are stressed, teachers have little choice and creativity suffers.
The OECD has concluded that the Leaving Cert is “too narrow and too rigid” to meet the highest international standards. As a senior official put it, Ireland needs to modernise its education system to avoid producing “second-class robots” in a world of rapid technological change. Leaving Cert reform cannot come soon enough.
In a hopeful sign of things to come, this year’s school-leavers will have more pathways and opportunities to pursue their career goals. Increased numbers are pursuing apprenticeships, reflecting a potential shift in attitudes towards vocational qualifications. There are more post-Leaving Cert courses and new tertiary degree courses, which offer a route into higher education without the need for CAO points.
As the Leaving Cert shows, students have different strengths and weakness. Everyone learns differently. What is most important is that we build a system that caters for all students.