Many students facing into the Leaving Certificate exams next June are seeking the option of accredited grades which was offered to the last two exam classes, according to local Independent Deputy, Denis Naughten.
Denis Naughten raised the issue in the Dáil this week with An Taoiseach after he was asked to do so by a locally based Leaving Cert student. The student feels the class of 2022 have been completely forgotten by the Department of Education by not recognising the true impact of Covid-19 on those who will sit the Leaving Cert in June 2022.
“Despite the fact that I raised this specific issue in the Dáil last May and received reassurances from the Minister for Education students clearly are very anxious about the forthcoming exams,” Deputy Naughten said.
The student told Deputy Naughten: “We missed a huge chunk of our in school learning due to the lockdown when we were in fifth year including the lack of group work and peer learning”. Significantly the email goes on to say ”I think we are now incredibly behind and a lot of us are stressed and getting ourselves into a mess with the thought of the leaving cert”.
Denis Naughten told the Taoiseach: “These students are looking for the option of accredited grades, just like last year’s Leaving Cert class and I’m asking that this option will be made available to them.”
Responding the Taoiseach said: “Mechanisms can be developed that take into account the experiences of fifth year students in preparing for the exam and the amount of curriculum covered so that greater flexibility, breadth and options and questions can be put, which help in that regard.”
