The announcement by the Minister for Education Norma Foley that school profiling will not feature in the leaving cert grades announced this month has been welcomed by Social Democrats councillor Owen Hanley
Cllr Hanley said that the Government has made the correct decision in listening to students and advocates on this decision.
"We teach our students in schools that if they work hard and try their best that they will be rewarded fairly. Deviating from that with leaving cert results based on school profiling would have been a stab in the back."
School profiling is the method in which predicated grades being used to determine final leaving results in lieu of traditional leaving cert examinations are weighted based on a schools history.
Cllr Hanley said; "What we have seen in Scotland and England was students performing well and then their grades being brought down because of the school they attended. This is essentially saying to students that their futures will be decided based on their address and where they come from. It is wrong and would have meant a short term solution to current restrictions could have negative effects for an entire life."
A campaign was run by students across the country under the scrap school profiling banner. The students engaged politicians across the political spectrum winning over consensus and eventually the Department of Education.
Cllr Hanley continued; "As schools are returning this month we are reminded of the importance of education as great equaliser in our society. The value of outcome from merit must underpin how we treat students across the life cycle of education. Minister Foley has announced that 17 per cent of leaving cert students will see their results downgraded. I hope the Minister releases the full algorithm that has gone into that decision so there is transparency and accountability in that decision.
"If nothing else, the recent campaign shows that leaving cert students of 2020 understand the power of their voice and I hope that sticks with them on whatever path follows their secondary school education."
