KCLR NewsNews & Sport

Calls for clarity for this years Leaving Certs in Carlow and Kilkenny

Teachers and students are looking for details on how the state exams can proceed

The Department of Education is being asked to provide details on how this year’s Leaving Cert will go ahead.

Traditional state exams are scheduled for this summer, but there’s concern staff shortages and school closures will impact results.

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals is calling for “creative solutions” to be made to provide a fair leaving cert for all.

While the Irish Secondary Students Union is concerned the curriculum isn’t being covered due to absences.

But General Secretary of the TUI Michael Gillespie says predicted grades can’t go ahead again this year, as many students did not sit the Junior Cert:

“Obviously we have an awful lot of schools who don’t do Transition Year and schools where only maybe one class do Transition Year so we have a lot of students doing their Leaving cert this year who do not have a Junior cert which is the basis of the Standardisation system”

The Department has confirmed that extra question options will be available on the papers, in recognition of the lost class time caused by the pandemic.