Call to scrap state exam fees

LEAVING Cert fees should be scrapped, according to Fianna Fáil’s Stephen Donnelly.

He said the stress the exam students and their families across Wicklow are under this year has been unprecedented.

Not only have students seen their preparations thrown into disarray but many families are now facing unemployment.

Deputy Donnelly said the additional pressure of paying for the State exam should be lifted as a gesture of goodwill from the Government.

At present the Minister for Education has said the fees will be paid after the exams are completed.

No firm deadline has been given at this point. ‘ The Covid-19 crisis has made life for students sitting the Leaving Certificate this year incredibly difficult,’ said Deputy Donnelly.

‘And the reality is many families in Wicklow are now relying on the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment scheme to survive.

‘ There is no need for the State to add the additional pressure for families to try and find the funds to cover the fees for the Leaving Certificate.

‘It is just a small gesture but it would mean so much to so many families in the county who are now facing financial difficulties.’

School-based students sitting the Leaving

Certificate examination for the first time in 2020 must pay a fee of €116.

School-based students repeating the Leaving Certificate pay a fee of €301.

External candidates sitting the exam for the first time pay a fee of €71 for one or two subjects and €116 for three or more subjects.

However, if your parents or guardian hold a current medical card, you do not have to pay the examination fee.