Gaeltacht schools want exam changes postponed

GAELTACHT schools are seeking postponement of changes to the Leaving Certificate Irish exam which they feel will not challenge or reward native speaker students.

The 28 second-level schools represented by Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta (ESG) are concerned the existing syllabus already results in students brought up through Irish reaching higher standards in Leaving Certificate English than they do in their mother tongue.

However, they fear revised marking under a new Leaving Certificate syllabus, including 40% of all marks going for the oral speaking test and a much reduced focus on Irish literature, will further impact on standards.