Petition for hybrid Leaving Cert exams gains traction

The government have been called upon to take action now and provide clarity to young people on this year’s Leaving Certificate.

Following the publication of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) survey showing two-thirds of exam students support a hybrid model for state exams, local councillor John Pratt said the Minister and Department must commence planning to facilitate this so students in Waterford and elsewhere have certainty.

A new petition set up online by the Labour Party seeking a hybrid Leaving Certificate in 2022 has received almost 10,000 signatures to date.

Speaking on the matter, the Tallow councillor said he is calling on the Minister and Department to hear the concerns of students and commence preparations for a hybrid state examination.

“Students in Waterford City and county have experienced a huge amount of disruption over the last two years, with rolling school closures and huge changes in how they are taught how they learn. The loss of in-person teaching in fifth year combined with the interruptions since September due to teachers not being available and the impact of substitutions has had an effect that cannot be ignored,” Cllr Pratt said.

TIME FOR REFORM

Having campaigned on the issue for over a month, Cllr Pratt said that the Labour Party have received an overwhelming response from exam students.

“It’s clear that there’s huge engagement from the wider education community on this issue, with many pointing to the successful roll-out of the hybrid Leaving Cert in 2021 by the Department. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.

“It would be wrong-headed for the Minister to go back to ‘normal’ given that the education experience for students is still being negatively impacted by the pandemic,” Cllr Pratt added.

He continued to call for a decision on the format of the exams to be made now and stated that pressure would be placed on the Minister on behalf of students to bring certainty sooner rather than later and ensure a defined path is in place for Leaving Cert students.

“We continue to hear anecdotal evidence from higher education institutions that this year’s first years are performing much better than had been anticipated, given their experience of home studying.

“Institutions are highlighting the fundamental resilience of our young people to adapt to new ways of learning and engaging with material. In light of this, it’s time to have a conversation about our education system and reform how we assess our students.

“We need an education system that works for our young people; one that develops skills and pathways to a range of options for graduates from apprentices to PLCs to university. We must be guided by our young people in this process,” Cllr Pratt concluded.