Sir, – I refer to Carl O’Brien’s article “Why second-level teachers are protesting” (Education, November 20th), and would first point out that every “reform” is not necessarily improvement.
If it is now proposed to allocate 40 per cent of marks in some Leaving Certificate subjects, to projects or other work to be carried out unsupervised, eg at home, surely this is quite unrealistic, especially under today’s conditions. What parent is there who will not want to intervene and help their child if they have the relevant expertise to do so? Some will, some won’t. But, given the virtual “industry” in projects, essays, etc, now accessible online to everyone who can pay, surely this changed context undermines the reliability, and therefore the trustworthiness, of those parts of the examination.
Whatever its shortcomings, this exam has long been seen by the public as trustworthy. Please let us keep it so. – Yours, etc,
DESMOND SWAN,
Christmas digestifs: buckle up for the strong stuff once dinner is done
Western indifference to Israel’s thirst for war defines a grotesque year of hypocrisy
Why do so many news sites look so boringly similar? Because they have to play by Google and Meta’s rules
Christmas dinner for under €35? We went shopping to see what the grocery shop really costs
(Emeritus Professor of Education,
University College Dublin),
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.