The Department of Education has paid about £18,000 in compensation to three students for unnecessary expenses incurred when part of their 1995 Leaving Cert art examination went missing. At least eight students lost third-level places as a result of the disappearance of the craftwork component of the exam. In all, craftwork from 50 students was lost.
A senior official laid the blame for what happened primarily on the Department of Education's failure to pursue the missing craftwork even after a re-check of marks had been sought by the Ursuline Convent in Sligo.
A 1996 report by the consultants Price Waterhouse on the affair detailed the repeated errors made in the examining and marking of the art exam. It pointed to numerous examples of regulations being ignored, poor communications within the exams branch and the failure of checking systems and internal investigations.
The Department and the families of the three students concerned have now agreed an out-ofcourt settlement on compensation for expenses they were forced to incur as a result of the lost exam papers. These expenses included fees and accommodation costs on alternative courses they would not have done if they had passed their art exam.
It is understood that one student received £10,000 and another two £4,000 each. At least one studied at the Ursuline Convent.
The Minister for Education, Mr Martin, said yesterday that the Department "had learned lessons from this experience and the changes and improvements made as a result means that we can now have complete confidence in the exam and appeals process".
In May the Department announced new safeguards in the exam appeals process, including the appointment of independent exam commissioners who have the power to request all documentation to make sure that procedures are properly carried out.
Meanwhile, the dozen students with corrected Leaving Certificate marks who were told that they would not be able to get on to their chosen college courses until next academic year have now all gained places for this year.
The students were given incorrect results in August which were upgraded last week after rechecks discovered inconsistencies in several batches of exam papers.
They were told last week that the courses they had chosen in high-points subjects such as medicine, dentistry and optics were full. They were informed that it was too late to be admitted because of shortages of facilities such as laboratory space and dental chairs.
In the past when this has happened to students with upgraded Leaving Cert results, colleges have offered them a guaranteed place the following year.
However, when the Central Applications Office announced that this would be the procedure again this year, the Minister for Education instructed his officials to talk to the colleges and ensure that the students affected were admitted immediately.