2020: The year that exposed the cracks in the Leaving Cert

Finding a truly equitable system may be idealistic, but a reformed senior cycle is not

It's time to work together to develop a new exam system, which doesn't cause nightmares for young people, says Katie Halpin-Hill, from Gaeltacht na nDéise in Co Waterford.

My pencil traced the outline of the child’s shoe that I was drawing for my Leaving Cert art project.

The room was warm and still, and there was an air of concentration — until my teacher’s phone rang. The sound cut through the classroom and the small class of eight waited with bated breath. She hung up the phone: “The school’s closed for two weeks.”