Students’ mental health at risk if proper measures aren’t in place
A SIXTH YEAR secondary school student in Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School in New Ross has written to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Education to highlight her concern about the decision to have this year’s Leaving Certificare exams postponed.
Lilianna Rice, who lives in the town, carried out an Instagram poll that revealed 78 per cent of students are unhappy with the Government decision to postpone the exams.
Commenting to this newspaper Lilianna said: ‘From the beginning of secondary school, the time the Leaving Cert is held, and the system in which it is carried out, have been reinforced into our heads.’
‘I have heard how the Government want to maintain as much normality and tradition with this as they can but how can this possibly happen in the middle of a worldwide pandemic?’ she added.
‘My biggest concern surrounding the decision is the toll it’s going to have on the class of 2020’s mental health,’ she said.
‘Adhering to the Covid-19 measures that are in place is extremely challenging for everyone, but it is especially challenging for those who already feel alone in a crowded room.’
In her letter Lilianna wrote: ‘People with mental health issues are putting their lives at risk by adhering to these measures, their sacrificing their mental health to do what they can to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus. We are listening to you, but will you listen to us?’
She said stigma around mental health issues is being reinforced by the Government’s decision.
‘I am not looking for an easy way out of the Leaving Cert, I have been prepared to sit this test for the last few years of my life and I am okay with it,’ she said.
‘Those who saw June 2020 as the month that a huge part of their suffering would end, have just had their hopes crushed and their pain and struggle prolonged,’ she added.
Suggesting a predictive grading system, with no detrimental policy, would be a strong option to consider Lilianna said the decision to postpone the Leaving Certificate and have two weeks school time before the exams needs to be changed.
‘An 11-month long Sixth Year is too much and the factor of students experiencing burnout must be considered,’ said Lilianna.
She also said that if a traditional styled exam is held measures will need to be implemented by the Government to address the situation students now find themselves in.