Leaving Cert exam results will be withheld if parents lobby teachers

Teachers have expressed concern about the pressure they are likely to come under from parents to inflate their students’ grades. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Parents of Leaving Cert students caught lobbying teachers for better results this year risk their children’s results being “withheld”, under plans to be approved by the Cabinet today.

Education Minister Norma Foley is bringing legislation to Government for approval which will provide the basis for this year’s calculated grades and exam hybrid system.

According to sources, included in it are penalties for those found to be “canvassing or providing false information”.

Teachers have expressed concern about the pressure they are likely to come under from parents to inflate their students’ grades given they and not external independent examiners will be marking the exams or awarding the calculated grades.

The main provisions of the bill being tabled by Ms Foley also include a statutory indemnity for anyone involved in the process against any potential legal action from dissatisfied parties.

With no new deaths reported on Monday, Covid hospitalisations at a six-month low and the announcement Europe is to receive an additional 100m doses of Pfizer vaccines this year, there is growing optimism the easing of public health restrictions will be brought forward.

Cabinet ministers, speaking privately, are urging Taoiseach Micheál Martin to soften his “ultra-conservative” approach and called on him to be “more ambitious” than what was previously thought possible.

“We can’t pay the price of the mistakes at Christmas forever. We need a new emphasis,” said one minister.

Outdoor retail and click and collect services will reopen at the beginning of next month. Cabinet sources also indicated that the ban on inter-county travel will be lifted in early June as opposed to July, as previously indicated.

It is understood that, following work by ministers Catherine Martin and Jack Chambers, in a bid to allow significant attendances at large sporting events, the Government is looking to convene a number of smaller test events as restrictions ease.

Indian variant of Covid detected

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that three cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 have been identified in Ireland.

Two of the three cases are associated with travel, the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) briefing heard on Monday.

Dr Cillian de Gascun, director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory, said the three cases were identified in the last couple of days.

“Public health investigations are ongoing, at least two of them are associated with travel, but there is more work ongoing at the moment,” he said.

There were three pregnant women with Covid-19 complications in ICU last weekend.