CBS exam results hit by teachers’ dispute

August 1977

While most schools in Wexford expressed satisfaction with this year’s Leaving Certificate results, which were released last Friday, the Christian Brothers Secondary School reported that results were 50 per cent down on previous years and attributed this alarming drop to the teachers’ dispute which has been ongoing in the school since last March.

It is claimed that this had an adverse affect on the students, particularly those doing honours subjects, as they were under enough pressure as it was to get the necessary number of points to do their chosen subject in third level education.

And also comes a warning this week that next year’s Leaving Certificate class will start their final year under the same conditions, unless the dispute is settled. The school was to re-open in less than two weeks, on September 1st, but Brother Burke, School Superior, said earlier in the year that it will not re-open at all until the dispute is settled.

Bro. Burke said that is unfortunate if next year’s class has to start their final year in the same situation, while he is also unable to give any guarantees to members of this year’s class who may wish to repeat their final year.

Commenting on this year’s results, Bro. Burke said that as results go, they are okay, but not up to the usual high standard of the school. Forty-six boys sat for the examination, and six of these qualified for university scholarships. Bro. Burke said that as many as fifteen have qualified in other years.

‘The pass results were much the same as usual, but the honours results were down about fifty per cent,’ he said. ‘The unsettling effect of the dispute may have had a bearing on the results as the students found it hard to concentrate on their studies. This shows that in the long term, the biggest losers in all of this are the students themselves. Many of this year’s class are hugely disappointed with the results they received, and are having to re-think their third level plans.’

Meanwhile, Bro. Burke confirmed again that the school will not re-open in September unless the dispute comes to an end in the meantime, but added that this does not look likely at the moment.

It is known that parents are deeply disturbed by lack of progress towards a settlement, and with only weeks left before September, there is considerable anxiety that every effort possible should be made to bring the school situation back to normal.

The latest development in the dispute is that the Federation of Christian Brothers Parents Councils have written to the Minister for Education (Mr. John Wilson), asking for a meeting with representatives of the Federation and representatives of the Christian Brothers Advisory Council, Wexford. However, at the time of going to press, no reply had yet been received.

The teachers involved in the ongoing dispute are members of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland.