Election 2024: Education — 'Forget phone pouches. Leaving Cert projects are a bigger problem'

Teacher Conor Murphy says the rollout of Leaving Cert projects should be paused for two reasons: It will further disadvantage less privileged students, and AI will make nonsense of the results

Skibbereen Community School English teacher Conor Murphy lists advantages his son will have taking on projects, and says students less well set up at home will be disadvantaged. Picture: Andy Gibson

One of the first things English teacher Conor Murphy had to deal with in the classroom, now more than 25 years ago, was a girl answering her mobile phone down the back of the class.

“I had hair then and I have no hair now, and I’m still dealing with the same thing,” he laughed. “It wasn’t a really a big issue then and it’s really not a big issue now.”