Leaving Cert schedule to change but plan for Saturday paper resisted

CHANGES will definitely be made to the order of written exams in next year’s Leaving Certificate but Education Minister Mary Hanafin has yet to decide if the first English paper will be taken on a Saturday in May.

Her plan to move at least one written paper to a weekend in the month before the main exam timetable has been strongly resisted by some school management authorities and teachers.

However, discussions between the State Examinations Commission and management groups are still taking place on the issue.

“The English move is certainly something we’re still looking at. The Exams Commission is having final talks with education partners in relation to it but the timetable has to be released to schools at the beginning of next month,” said Ms Hanafin.

But while uncertainty remains on that issue, she is intent on approving changes to the first three days of the written exam timetable in June. Up to now, students have faced two English papers, two Irish papers and a maths exam between Wednesday and Friday.

The changes would mean some of these subjects will be moved to the second week and replaced in the first week with subjects taken by fewer students.

“The revamp of the first three days certainly won’t cause any problem. The other change is a bit more difficult to tie down and I wouldn’t like to guarantee to students at this stage that it will come about, but I’m hoping that it will,” Ms Hanafin said.

While school managers support efforts to ease pressure on Leaving Certificate candidates, they have warned that logistical problems would be caused moving it to a Saturday such as staffing and possible disruption to other students by preparing exam centres in the days beforehand.

At last week’s conference of Vocational Education Committee members, calls were made to move practical and oral exams to weekends or the Easter holidays. However, teacher unions have already expressed their opposition to such moves.

Ms Hanafin said various proposals have been made along these lines previously, but it has yet to be formally discussed with school managers and unions.

“It’s not quite as straightforward, particularly when you consider that Easter is earlier some years than others, so that needs to be looked at in conjunction with the education partners,” she said.