Examinations don’t define your worth, teaching leaders reassure students

Students have been advised to keep things in perspective, get plenty of rest, and eat well during the State exams.

Wed, 03 Jun, 2015 - 01:00

Niall Murray

The message from Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland president Philip Irwin is that students should remember the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams do not define their worth as a person.

“Just as in life, you may have good days and not so good days,” he said. “The important thing is to move on and put extra effort into looking after yourself.

“Have a good routine, including enough time for sleep, rest, relaxation and exercise, and make sure you are eating well. All of this will help to balance your mood, maintain your energy, and ease any tension you may be experiencing.”

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Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Gerry Quinn also wished students well, but gave particular praise to mature students who have returned to take exams.

“We hope they will find the experience a rewarding one,” he said. “There are also many students of different nationalities taking exams who may have acquired English relatively recently. These students also deserve special credit.”

While most Leaving Cert students have applied for Irish college places via the Central Applications Office, Institute of Guidance Counsellors president Betty McLaughlin said there are many other options. These include further education colleges, post-Leaving Cert courses, apprenticeships and direct entry to work.

However, she said, recent studies have shown that students have suffered from an uneven and disjointed guidance service in schools that make reinstatement of time allocation for guidance essential to ensuring young people’s wellbeing.

She referred to issues raised in an Economic and Social Research Institute study last week, highlighting how students unhappy with their subject choices were likely to be more stressed. A doctoral research thesis last month suggested students from poorer areas suffering most since the removal of guaranteed guidance allocation in schools in 2012.