Leaving Cert: more questions to answer for young people and parents
It’s safe to say the class of 2020 will find it hard to forget this year. After weeks of speculation and calls for answers, they finally have some semblance of clarity on how they will finish secondary school.
It’s hard to see how cancelling the Leaving Cert won’t have wide-ranging implications on the education system in years to come, with knock-on effects that at this moment remain impossible to predict. The Senior Cycle is currently being scrutinised; Could this year act as a trial run for the years to come?
Students, parents and schools have been crying out for clear instructions about the State Exams for weeks. It wasn’t even necessarily a call to cancel the exams outright, they just wanted a proper outline of what would be expected of them.
The stress and anguish that young people were under as a result of uncertainty was plain to see. So much so that the Ombudsman for Children intervened. At the beginning of April, Dr Niall Muldoon called for urgency around a decision on the exams, during what he described as a "complete vacuum of information". This week, he reiterated that call.
The words of one student in particular are still stuck in the mind of this reporter. Charlie Murray, a student from County Clare told the Examiner it felt like there was no escape from studying since students’ school and home lives became entwined: “The pressure and the stress is growing by the day and we’re constantly told to keep our heads down but realistically we can’t.”
Critics of the Leaving Cert say the exams are an arbitrary way to define people’s pathways to careers, a narrow indicator of the many achievements in life. Those who support it say the standardised, anonymised exams are the fairest way to assess a student without the influence of outside biases.
Whatever your stance on it, it’s clear to see that there was no perfect solution during a pandemic, and a decision on this was never going to be easy. The process behind the entry to third-level here is intricate and intertwined between different State agencies, the schools and third-level institutions.
Many students rely on the qualification it gives them for employers, for apprenticeships or for further education. Discussions between the Department of Education, teaching unions, parents and students were painstaking, with each alternative posing its own set of challenges to be navigated.
Trapped between a rock and a hard place, the choice was to risk the health of students and school staff, or run the risk of total chaos by adapting a new untested and, potentially inequitable, mode of assessment. This also came with solemn warnings over the potential insurance risk attached to contracting the virus from an exam hall. In the end, health and welfare won out.
“The Leaving Cert is important, but it’s life that matters,” Joe McHugh, Minister for Education, said on Friday.
The lockdown has widened existing inequalities among students, he acknowledged. Some may have adjusted to their new lives better than others, some may be grieving. Other have not had the same access to online learning.
Education sources have also raised concerns around the proposed system of grading, and if it will help to widen that gap even further. Inequalities also look likely to continue to deepen in the coming months; Unfortunately, all the signs seem to be indicating that more and more families will find it hard to afford college this year.
An often cited study by the UCL Institute of Education found that just one in six predicted A-Level results were correct. The vast majority were found to be over predicted. The Department of Education believes it has put enough checks and balances in to prevent this.
"The very best piece of information, bar an exam, that we have about children’s achievement is the knowledge that teachers have," said Harold Hislop, chief inspector of the inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills.
"In previous years we got that information through an exam. We can’t do that safely this year. It’s really important that teachers give that information in a really balanced, well judged way. So they will get a lot of guidance on how to make that judgement. One really important thing is not to discuss it with the student and the teacher that will be clear in the guidance."
Some form of clarity, but one unanswered question still hangs heavy; If we cannot ask schools to re-open safely to facilitate 61,000 Leaving Cert students throughout July and August, how can we expect them to be ready come September?
"The Government is listening"
"Leaving Cert students all over Ireland have been working hard to study, and finish projects and assignments. We’ve all been doing this remotely from home since schools have closed. The Irish Secondary Students Union (ISSU) have been working very hard since the decision was made to postpone the Leaving Cert from the 3rd of June to the 29th of July.
"For the decision to postpone the Leaving Cert, it seemed to me that there wasn’t much effort to try to get young people's opinions on that decision, but from that day onwards the ISSU have been on board the whole way to help young people's voices be heard.
"The ISSU have been surveying young people to get a better understanding of what young people want. Throughout the process many young people wanted to cancel the Leaving Cert and have predicted grades which would relieve so much stress.
"As soon as I heard that Minister Joe McHugh will be recommending to the cabinet that the Leaving Cert will be cancelled I was super excited. I am extremely relieved that I don't have to stress about this anymore, but I also have a few concerns as to how everything is going to work out.
"When it was announced I felt a huge weight drop off my shoulders and I was able to feel happy and free. I can just imagine that many of the Leaving Cert students felt the exact same way.
"Over 70% of the Leaving Cert students said that they wanted to cancel the Leaving Cert. It seems now that the government is listening to young people's voices, which makes me even more excited about this news as I know that if there are any more decisions to be made, I can rest assured that my voice will be heard."
"Our voices were heard"
"On the evening of Thursday May 7th, over 65,000 Leaving Certificate students were told of Minister Joe McHugh’s intention to cancel traditional exams as we know them and replace them with predicted grades.
"The consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic have had a major impact on our nation as a whole, but I think people fail to see that the impact of the virus has filtered into the mental health of our students. As a Leaving Certificate student, I was extremely worried about exams going ahead on July 29th as previously announced.
"I was concerned about how the safety of students could be ensured. I was also extremely anxious about the impact that the postponed exams were having on myself and my fellow Leaving Cert students. Personally, I have found that trying to find the motivation to study for uncertain exams amid an unprecedented global pandemic was a very difficult talk and I often lost motivation.
"The decision made by the government to cancel the Leaving Certificate has been a welcomed one by the vast majority of students including myself. According to the recent survey conducted by the Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU), 79% of students opted for the cancellation of exams and the implementation of the predicted grades system.
"Postponing the exams has already caused so much upset, unneeded stress and anxiety amongst students. For a country that rightfully preaches about mental health, we have finally put our words into action. I am unbelievably proud of my fellow students who have stood up for what they believed in and our voices have finally been heard.
"The cancellation of this year’s Leaving Certificate exams was not a decision to be taken lightly but it was one that was necessary. I think students now feel that their health is protected."
"Teachers will do right by us"
"Late last night, sixth-year students, as well as their teachers and parents, heard about the decision to cancel the Leaving Certificate exams and instead proceed with a predictive grade model. I’m still struggling to comprehend the news, in all honesty.
"Slowly, the news about the decision filtered down through social media and group chats and I think every student is in the same state of shock. As someone who has been behind the idea of predicted grades since students began to advocate for them, I commend the government for their decision.
"Many sixth-year students’ wellbeing had taken a nosedive since we left school. I know that not being able to go to school and not having structured days was having an impact on me and my mental wellbeing. Along with this, other students had other setbacks in terms of the digital divide, a lack of facilities for study etc. that were causing a lot of stress and anxiety.
"The Irish Secondary Students Union ran two surveys over the last few weeks, with the latest one showing that 78.6% of students were in favour of predicted grades and cancelling the exams. I’m relieved that the government has done the right thing and listened to the student voice because for a while it felt like we weren’t being listened, to which in my opinion, increased the stress that a lot of us were feeling.
"It’s going to take time for our brains to wrap around the fact that the exams are not going to happen. Our teachers are going to be put in a very stressful place in the next couple of weeks but I trust in mine that they will do right by my fellow classmates and myself. I believe that now is the time to take account of what we have and to heal."
"At last, we have clarity"
When I read the news of the expected cancellation of the Leaving Certificate exams, I felt a wave of immense relief. For weeks, students have been left in the dark, not knowing what was going to be happening with the most important exams of our school education.
I think the uncertainty has been detrimental to the mental health of 65,000 Leaving Cert students, their teachers and their families. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions, ups and downs, during a time when the nation’s mental health and wellbeing is already at a fragile state. Now, regardless of whether you are happy with the final decision or not, we have clarity. Our safety has been placed at the forefront of this decision and that is the most important outcome.
For weeks I have been campaigning, on RTÉ, national and local radio, calling for the cancellation of the exams and for the use of predicted grades. I believe it is the best and fairest option for the community as a whole. We are living in such unprecedented times. We need to push individualistic attitudes aside, come together and keep the greater interests of the community in mind. This decision is not going to please everyone, but I think it is the only option which prioritises student’s health and wellbeing.
Now that the decision has been made, rather than highlighting all the possible problems, we need to come together to make it work. Predicted grades can be done. We have seen countries across Europe use this system. We need to trust in the professionalism of our teachers and the Department to provide the most accurate and reflective grade.
The right decision has been made.
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