As the 2010 Leaving Certificate examinations got under way this week a number of changes to exam structures and reference material were being proposed.
The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union has called for an end to the study-and-cram approach to school-leaving exams, claiming it simply encourages young people to learn material by rote for a certain deadline, after which they forget all about it.
“Let’s face facts. The Leaving Certificate doesn’t adequately prepare students for third-level or life outside of education,” said ISSU president Leanne Caulfield. “Thousands of Junior and Leaving Cert students across the country sat down this week to get as much last-minute study done as possible, but the sad reality is that in 48 or even 24 hours’ time, much of this information is gone from their memories forever, replaced with further cramming information that in turn will be forgotten by the weekend to make way for yet more cramming for next week’s exams.”
She added that the current Irish second-level examinations system encourages rote-learning to such an extent that it is detrimental to students’ ability to adapt at third-level.
Meanwhile, the standard reference for the Irish language, Caighdeán Oifigiúil na Gaeilge, is now officially up for review for the first time since its publication in 1958, and interested parties across the country are invited to have their say before the consultation period closes in two weeks.
“I strongly recommend everyone who has an interest in this work to fully participate in the process, and to hold measured discussions on both the specific grammar points and principles,” said Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs, Pat Carey. “We would like to stimulate public discourse which will benefit the language for many years to come.”
Another education milestone also takes place this year when 400 principal teachers retire from primary schools. This exodus will impact significantly on the quality of leadership at primary level for years to come, according to the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN ) president, Pat Goff, who noted that one in four primary schools in the last two years did not have a permanent appointed principal.
IPPN director Sean Cottrell added that hundreds of principals are either retiring or stepping down to a teacher’s role, largely in response to the impossible workload leading to excessive stress.
