Teachers as well as students deserve to be protected as Leaving Certlooms

SINCE it was announced that this year’s Leaving Cert exams would be scrapped and students graded by their teachers, a major debate on the implications of the Government’s historic decision has been playing out across the country. Quite understandably most of the focus has been on the students – they do, after all, have the most to lose – but until very recently only scant attention has been paid to the teachers who are now tasked with deciding their students’ potentially life defining Leaving Cert marks.

The decision to cancel the traditional Leaving Cert has come in for some criticism but in the context of the Coronavirus crisis is was unquestionably the right one.

We will have to wait and see if the use of predictive grading is a success but at this point it does seem to be ‘ the least worst option’ as many teachers and other education experts have described it.

The best option of a very bad bunch it may very well be but predictive grading puts teachers in an invidious position.

The core concept of the Leaving Cert – indeed the very rock its foundations are built on – is that students are tested and marked anonymously, without fear or favour, on a single standardised test.

That approach, created and used because it guarantees fairness and a level playing field for all, has been abandoned and teachers have been placed directly in the firing line.

Measures have been taken and marking guidelines drawn up to protect teachers from outside pressure and guide them in their task.

Even so, it is impossible to imagine a situation where scores of teachers will not face pressure from parents or students.

Whether it is a half joking plea to ‘ look after’ someone’s child or something more sinister, like the offer of a bribe or a threat, this is something that no teacher should have to face.

Once the results have been issued there is also the very real risk of legal action, something that schools and teachers have good reason to be seriously concerned about.

Irish society has become notoriously litigious and with the points race growing more and more competitive with every passing year a swathe of lawsuits and legal battles over grades seem depressingly inevitable.

Many commentators have expressed the view that in the current climate and with the nation coming together like never before to fight COVID-19, parents and students will be unlikely to take the nuclear option and head to the courts.

It’s a nice notion but past experience would, unfortunately, suggest it’s little more than a pipe-dream.

Imagine for a minute the pushy uncooperative parent that is unwilling to accept even the slightest criticism of their child from their frustrated teachers. If a single mark is the difference between their little darling getting into or missing out on their chosen course do you think they won’t consider calling in a solicitor?

Thankfully, for teachers, the Government has agreed to provide a full indemnity to teachers and schools but while they might not be liable for costs they could still have to defend themselves in court.