As the fiasco that was the 2020 Leaving Cert drew to an undignified close there was but one crumb of comfort for those who would follow, for the class of 2021: It couldn t possibly be that bad again.
They had seen the impact on their predecessors, saw how the on-off uncertainty surrounding exams which were confirmed, moved forward and then finally cancelled had pushed their peers almost to breaking point.
They had looked on, aghast, as the calculated grades system spat out results arbitrarily, favouring some over others and reducing living, breathing, panicking students into binary numbers.
But they gained solace in the knowledge that lessons had been learned, that the class of 2020 were an outlier, the unfortunate ones caught in the eye of the storm.
The Department of Education should abandon the Junior Certificate this year and concentrate on getting the Leaving Certificate ‘done properly’, a leading education expert has said.
The ‘time-consuming token nonsense’ of classroom-based assessments should also be shelved in the pandemic, according to Kevin Williams, a research fellow at DCU, author and former president of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland.
His intervention comes after Education Minister Norma Foley was forced into a U-turn this week on plans for exam year students to attend school three days a week. When the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) both directed their members to not cooperate with the in class Leaving Cert. plan Minister Foley was forced to back down.
Education Minister Norma Foley, teacher unions and other education partners have agreed they want the Leaving Cert to go ahead – but they are no closer to getting sixth years back into the classroom.
Education Minister Norma Foley has dropped plans for students to return to classrooms (Niall Carson/PA)
In a statement, Minister Foley said: “It is with regret that I announce that, despite the confirmation by Public Health that schools remain safe, that children in special schools and special classes and Leaving Certificate students will not be extended in-person learning.
“My Department has engaged with the unions and public health officials with a view to maintaining on site learning for this vulnerable group of students.
“It remains my strong belief that this period of time is crucial for the mental wellbeing of all children with special needs.