Grandmother (71) celebrates Junior Cert results

A 71-year-old Limerick grandmother is one of thousands of students celebrating Junior Cert results today.

Pamela Noonan from O’Malley Park in Limerick city said she was “over the moon” when she opened her envelope at the Further Education and Training Centre on O’Connell Avenue.

“I left school very young, I was about 11. I had no education really because in those days you didn’t get an education you had to go out to work if you were able to, it didn’t matter what you could do; you had to go out to work to earn money.”

Ms Noonan is one of more than 2,700 students in Limerick, and almost 60,000 nationwide, receiving the results of their very first state examinations today.

And the Grandmother of 14 said she was determined to continue with her studies. “I would give anything before I die to do my Leaving Cert, I don’t know if I am foolish or not but I would love to do it.”

Other mature students who completed their Junior Cert in one year at Limerick Adult Education on Sexton Street, were either early school leavers or foreign nationals or who until no had no qualifications in Ireland.

Harold Conway (61) who left school in 1966 now hopes to continue on do his Leaving cert and maybe continue to third level.

“As the years go by I felt I missed out on something. I had the opportunity to go back and I found it enlightening, to further my brain activity and as the year’s progress you need to keep it active,” said the 61-year-old.

Some teachers working in adult education have sounded a note of caution of the impact of the impending reform of the Junior Cycle on mature learners.

"For adult education the reforms won't work because we do the Junior Cert in one year here," warned Margaret Heffernan, assistant co-ordinator, Limerick Adult Education Centre.

“We will have to do more QQI Qualifications instead. It’s a shame because there is great continuity between the Junior Cert and the Leaving Cert and the Junior Cert programme has worked so well for students here,” she added.

English teacher Gabrielle Tarpey, Limerick Adult Education centre, believes that the Leaving Cert is in much more need of reform than the Junior Cert.

“I think the Junior Cert reform is not all that valuable for the students or the schools. I think it would be much more useful to have some reform of Leaving Cert where they would have exams at the end of fifth year and at the end of sixth year, because that would be much more valuable because the students wouldn’t’ have the same level of pressure.”

Nearby, students at Gael Cholaiste Luimnigh were celebrating as two of their peers scored straight A results.

Emmet Brown (15) from Ballysimon Road, Limerick, and Sarah Hannon (15) from Kilmore, Co Clare, both received ten A1s in their exams.

Twins Jack and Kate O’Neill (15) were also among those celebrating, along with Tara Mannix (15) who is an Irish international underage soccer player.

“It was hard balancing study with training and travel but I am delighted with my results,” said Tara.

Principal Donncha O’Treasaigh congratulated all the students on their results saying that it was a very strong year.

Welcoming the Junior Cycle reform, Mr O’Treasaigh said it was important for the teacher unions to consider the proposals that had been altered to accommodate their concerns.

“These changes are badly needed in terms of moving on and modernising the assessment models that young people have to go through these days,” he said.

“I think its really important for the teacher unions to consider very carefully the proposals that have been changed and altered to accommodate their concerns and undoubtedly there is change on the cards and teachers are very well placed now after a number of years of consultation, redrafting of the element of the new Junior Cert cycle to really embrace it now.”

Ballots on whether to accept the reforms have been sent out this week to the two unions representing secondary teachers, with a result due on September 24th.