Leaving Cert blunder will cost €1m

THE bill for bringing almost 52,000 Leaving Certificate students back to sit English papers tomorrow morning after the accidental leaking of the exams on Wednesday could top €1 million.

While the main focus of the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the Department of Education and schools has been to reduce the stress already felt by affected students, the affair will leave Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe and the commission with a massive financial headache.

An education source said the cost can only be estimated at this stage, but it is expected to reach €1m, roughly half of which will be spent on buses for students who ordinarily use the school transport system. That cost will most likely have to be footed directly by the Department of Education which, along with Bus Éireann, assured students that exam period services will run for tomorrow’s rescheduled exams.