Results delay anguish for 126 students

RESULTS of the civil, social and political education (CSPE) exam are not being released to 126 Junior Certificate students at 13 schools this morning because they submitted similar projects.

The State Examinations Commission has asked the schools in question to respond to the issues in the hope of clearing up any question of irregularities.

Last year, 656 students had their results delayed pending an investigation. Only 18 were withheld after discussions with students and their schools.

A commission spokesperson said the exam was not a cause for concern, as instructions to schools on the CSPE project resulted in much fewer students with question marks over their work this year.

The subject was taken by all but 2,300 of this year’s 59,633 students whose results are arriving at 750 second level schools today.

Following discussions with schools, seven students have had their results of one subject withheld, but they may appeal the decision. The four subjects concerned were history, Irish, maths and CSPE.

Among those who will get their results today are 1,458 adults who returned to education for this year’s Junior Certificate through the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS).

Analysis of the results show a general improvement on last year, with the numbers receiving honours grades in all levels of Irish, English and maths up on the class of 2002.

The first examination of religious education produced impressive grades, with honours for 83.6% of the 4,164 higher level students and 78% of the 1,623 people who sat the ordinary level paper. However, more than 6% failed the ordinary level exam.

The Junior Certificate science papers, sat by 51,090 students at higher and ordinary level, also resulted in better performances than last year. More than three-quarters of students at both levels secured an honour grade, while the numbers failing fell. Despite the positive results, however, talks between the ASTI union and Education Minister Noel Dempsey failed to resolve the impasse on the new Junior Cert science syllabus yesterday.

Mr Dempsey reiterated his belief that the ASTI ban on teaching the new course on health and safety grounds constitutes industrial action and breaches social partnership. While his officials cleared up some matters on funding to upgrade labs, no breakthrough appears likely after the meeting.

Both sides will meet again next week, where the more technical side of the ASTI’s health and safety concerns will be examined. However, it seems likely the matter will end up going to arbitration to decide whether the union ban breaches Sustaining Progress and should mean pay increases being withheld from its members.

As Junior Cert students prepare to celebrate their results tonight, parents, teachers and peers advised them to have a good time without putting themselves in danger.

“They should remain safe, drink and drugs will lead to embarrassment and foolish accidents,” said Union of Secondary Students spokesperson Emer Ní Chúagáin.

For those who do not get their results at school, they will be available on the State Examinations Commission website - www.examinations.ie - from 4pm today.