Letter to the Editor: Leaving Cert students in need of some certainty
It goes without saying that the Leaving Cert is a very heated topic in our country currently.
There are some who say to still hold the exams as normal in June, or to delay the exams until July or August, but in my opinion, the most feasible option going forward for the Leaving Cert of 2020 is predicted grading and that is for many reasons.
It is clear to many people, students like myself included, that there is a colossal educational inequality across the country right now due to online schooling and accommodating for the quarantine period.
Some students are getting many Skype classes a week with their teachers for their respective subjects, have a suitable and quiet place where they can focus on their studies, and have good access to internet and a laptop.
This is in stark contrast to students who might not have great access to internet, who are enrolling in schools that are holding no online classes or cannot facilitate them and who are trying to study in a disruptive household with no proper designated area for studying.
This is the harsh reality and ranges in severity across the board for Leaving Cert
students currently trying to keep up with the intense changes and lack of facilities for them to adequately prepare for the exam.
I am grateful in that I am one of the lucky ones.
I have a designated, suitable area for my study and can do so in a peaceful household situation. There are students in less fortunate situations than me, and students in better ones.
Yet still, the resounding cry from the Leaving Cert students of 2020 is one of confusion, anger, and lack of motivation due to the fact that the Government hasn’t given a solid, concrete answer to the question of the State exams in June.
It is simply unreasonable to hold the State exams as normal in June because we are by no means in a normal time.
What about students who are at risk from Covid-19 or who have loved ones at risk? Students who are already at a dis- advantage to others who have near to half their exams completed from the allocated marks given to the practicals and orals? The disruption to the college and CAO system if exams were held at a later date?
The list goes on, and that’s still not taking into account the unpredictability of the length of the quarantine and the safety of holding an exam for thousands of students at a time where it could be putting thousands of people’s health at risk due to the fact that we may very well be still quarantining and social distancing in June.
The option of predicted grades isn’t without its flaws, none of the options are, but with the current situation moving forward and the uncertainty surrounding the quarantine period and pandemic, as well as the results of thousands of students hanging in the balance, it seems, for many reasons, that predicted grades will be the most reasonable choice among the options at our disposal.
