Testing times for our exam students

THE European Commission is demanding another austerity budget of €2 billion in cuts, the government coalition partners have never appeared less united and the Labour Party doesn’t even have a leader at the moment.

It is all very important in the affairs of the nation, to say the least, but it doesn’t mean a hell of a lot to one notable group in the county this week - our 2,000 students who are sitting down to take the Leaving Certificate examination.

It is one of the toughest tests of any kind they will encounter in their lives as they are asked to give evidence of years of learning in intense exams over the course of just a fortnight. The Leaving Cert has long been the subject of calls for reform over the years for this very reason, as critics deride its worst aspects as an out-dated model of examination long past its sell-by date.

Even though Ruairí Quinn came into the role with the cut of a reforming minister with the ambition to achieve a lot, not much has been done to present our teens with a fairer method of examining their learning. It’s still more a test of mental and physical endurance than the ability to retain and analyse information.

It is clear the Leaving Cert is far from the best way of graduating second-level, but it is very important that those sitting down this week remember that life is not all about exams - far from it. When we look at the real drivers of the economy, in this county at least, it is natural intelligence, entrepreneurial spirit and a strong work ethic that are among the most important traits - in our business people, from the farming sector to retail. These are not traits that are particularly nurtured by the current Leaving Cert syllabus.

Life is not all about the economy either, of course, and the main thing is that our schools help parents to turn out compassionate individuals by whose very presence society is improved in Kerry.

But it is sincerely hoped that by the time this generation of Leavers exit third-level they will find themselves in a country worth staying in; one that can provide them with the means necessary to put down roots and raise families here rather than in far distant places like hundreds of thousands of others.