Letters to the Editor: It’s time to restore the  integrity of Leaving Cert

"The traditional Leaving Cert exam is not perfect but in comparison to the shambles of the subjective prediction of the past two exams, it’s a perfectly oiled machine."

Two years of assessment uncertainty has been nerve-racking for Leaving Cert candidates. Admittedly, needs must when the pandemic called to wreak havoc in their young lives. Desperate measures, such as calculated and accredited grades, were called for in desperate times.

A commendable effort was made to provide an assessment of sorts. However, considerable fault rests with the exams authority that the results deviated alarmingly from standard norms and that high grades were distributed with rare abandon. It’s time to restore the integrity and international reputation of an exam that has served the Ireland well since 1925.

The traditional Leaving Cert exam is not perfect but in comparison to the shambles of the subjective prediction of the past two exams, it’s a perfectly oiled machine.

What has been confirmed is that an objective test of achievement cannot be replaced by a subjective estimate of ability.

The unprecedented grade inflation this year proves that standardisation goes out the window when the checks and balances are ignored.

What one actually achieves in an exam is always more credible and prestigious than a ‘guestimate’ of one’s potential to achieve.

The traditional Leaving Cert is a valid, reliable, impartial, and fair psychometric instrument that has provided an accurate record of achievement for almost 100 years to young people at the end of the post-primary school cycle. In the rush to fix something that isn’t broken, let’s hasten slowly, lest we throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Billy Ryle

Tralee

Co Kerry

Afghanistan: A poorly planned exit

Exceptions can be made to a lot of rules. Flexibility is built in to take account of unique situations, and Afghanistan is one of them.

An exception could have been made to maintain an Allied force for a year or two longer to ensure a negotiated Taliban coalition government. The presence of US, British, and French forces with a UN peacekeeping force would have helped to ensure the Taliban would adhere to conditions to be part of a government: For the human and civil rights of women and girls to continue to be respected and democratic governments of the last 20 years to not end.

Instead, there was a poorly planned withdrawal of US main forces to the dismay of the British and French allies who had to follow, leading to chaos evacuating people and Afghans who had supported the Western forces.

Before the evacuation the Taliban were back in power and have since banned women participating in sport. Two weeks ago, in anticipation of this and in fear for their lives, the Afghanistan national ladies football team burned their jerseys and removed their profiles from social media.

The leaders of the Taliban promised to be more tolerant and to respect the rights of women, but there have been reports of executions of civilians seen to be too friendly with the Allied forces and some forced marriages to Taliban fighters. It didn’t have to be this way. With more patience and forethought is was possible to plan for a better outcome for the sake of millions of women and girls in Afghanistan. The decision to pull out of Afghanistan made by mostly men in power, safe from danger.

Mary Sullivan

College Rd

Cork

Vacation for one, vacate for another

Dr Mathew Barrett never ushered a truer word when he wrote: “The notion that the right to privacy is one which is conditional on the attitudes, sensibilities and prejudices of another is both ridiculous and dangerous.”

It’s an awful pity that Dr Barrett’s partner, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, didn’t listen to such words regarding the witch-hunt of Michael Cawley to occur, to the point of him being forced to resign his job at Fáilte Ireland for doing far, far less.

Mr Cawley broke no laws. Neither did Leo Varadkar. They were “only guidelines” after all.

Úna McCormack

Cabra

Dublin 7

Has the State has abdicated its duty to creches?

Creches months from insolvency

The State has abdicated its responsibilities here to creche owners who are months away from insolvency.

Just one small wobble and the whole industry falls apart.

The State needs to appoint a new Education Minister with teeth. This minister’s remit should extend to early childcare and the crèches need to be nationalised.

Together with early childcare she/he needs to review the whole school year. June, July, and August off for students needs a full review as well.

John Kenneally

Model Farm Rd

Cork

Tax waste at the point of production

Recent data to emerge from the Environmental Protection Agency has once again confirmed that waste creation is escalating, with over 1m tonnes generated each year, for the last three years, in packaging waste alone. This warrants a proactive approach by our politicians, namely a national proactive waste management strategy based on the principle of waste taxation at the point of production, to enable consumers the opportunity to influence the quality and quantity of waste we generate as a
society. This will replace the present reactionary methods, where waste creation is not contemplated until it is about to be deposed.

Tadhg O’Donovan

Fermoy

Co Cork

Surely we can solve Sophie’s murder

Having watched the the two documentaries on the murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier and her son’s appeal on The  Late Late Show, [I believe] it is time we properly investigate her murder.

Surely we’re not beyond solving this case. The Justice Minister needs to make this happen.

Tom Twomey

Togher

Cork

Zappone: Focus on bigger picture

In the lead up to the crash of 2008 the opposition of the time failed to oppose, or properly question, State borrowing, public expenditure, property development or bank lending practices. Those things which led to disaster went unchallenged.

Of course, it is now easy to place all the blame on the government parties of the day.

Fast forward to the present day. Again there is no political opposition or questioning of government borrowing or of public expenditure, or of the increasing public sector payroll.

Our grandchildren will be burdened with crippling national debt which may well become unmanageable.

However, we will be able to boast to these same grandchildren that we cared so much about their interests that we held the Government to account about a €15k per annum
part-time job in the UN.

Pat O’Mahony

Westport

Taxpayers’ money and ‘that’ ego trip

Michael Deasy ( Irish Examiner, Letters, September 11) opines that the stipend for the trumped-up UN job is ‘a little sinecure‘.

Really? One person’s sinecure is another’s living wage.

I have absolutely no issue with anyone, anywhere, spending their own money as they like. However, I take issue when anybody, anywhere, decides to spend taxpayers’ money on an ego trip.

Aileen Hooper,

Stoneybatter

Dublin 7

What about the father’s choice?

In a letter supporting the absolute rights of women over their unborn children, Kevin Devitte states: “It [abortion] should be the woman’s choice, end of story.” ( Irish Examiner, September 11, 2021)

Even if we leave aside all rights on the part of the developing life in the womb, in light of the recent hullabaloo regarding the Rotunda Hospital’s denial of visitation opportunities to expectant fathers, should not those same men also be considered worthy of some legal rights over their unborn offspring? If we are striving toward gender equality, surely the rights of one party only, should not be viewed as ‘end of story’.

Rory O’Donovan

Killeens

Cork

Play it again, and again, RTÉ

I am really enjoying all these repeats on RTE. Let me repeat, I am really enjoying all these repeats on RTE.

Tom Gilsenan

Beaumont

D9