Leaving Cert - Welcome reform

The Government’s proposal to change the model for grading the Leaving Certificate is to be welcomed.

As first revealed last week in the Irish Examiner, the plan is to reduce the number of grades awarded as part of wider efforts to reduce the pressure on students to achieve marginal gains in exam performance.

Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn said the proposal addresses concerns around the high-stakes nature of the points system and the Leaving Certificate.

The greatest benefit of all, though, is the shift away from rote learning — the mind-numbing methodology that favours students who focus on short-term retention, followed by regurgitation without any real understanding of what they are learning.

In the age of the internet, short-term retention is hardly necessary. What matters most is not how students get their information but what they do with it. Analytical skills and cognitive reasoning are far more valuable tools for the future.