Exams body replaced Leaving Cert papers

Exam news: The State exams body has said it withdrew 45,000 Leaving Cert English papers and replaced them at short notice because of the Co Meath school bus tragedy.

This follows earlier statements by the commission, maintaining it was not feasible to replace a Junior Cert English paper which made reference to travelling on a school bus. The commission has been widely criticised for its failure to withdraw this paper.

In a statement issued late yesterday, the commission said the original Leaving Cert English paper (higher level) contained both visual and written material which could have caused offence in light of the tragedy.

It is thought that the theme of road safety and accidents surfaced in both the essay and comprehension section of the paper.

The decision to pull the paper was made on Thursday, May 26th, four days after the Co Meath accident which killed five students.

Following a wave of criticism about the failure to replace the Junior Cert English paper, the commission moved to erase references to road accidents in a Junior Cert Irish paper on Thursday. This was replaced with another essay on television - for students in four Co Meath schools.

More than 34,000 students took Wednesday's replacement Leaving Cert English paper. A further 11,000 papers - to allow for students to opt for the higher level on the day - were also replaced.

The commission's swift action in relation to this paper will raise further questions about its failure to withdraw the offending Junior Cert English paper.

Since the controversy broke, the commission has insisted it would not have been feasible to withdraw the paper at such short notice. It said that a decision had been made to proceed with the Junior Cert paper - even though the issue of its insensitivity had been raised by some staff members. The commission insisted it would not have been possible in any circumstances to replace it.

It is now clear that the commission could not withdraw the Junior Cert paper because its printers - located outside the State - were working on the new version of the Leaving Cert English paper.

After the most difficult week of its three-year existence, commission officials yesterday held a special meeting to review events. The commission is promising a full review. Last night, its chief executive, Pádraic McNamara, was unavailable for comment.

Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has said that the commission should have alerted schools in Navan about the offending essay question in advance of Thursday's Junior Cert Irish exam.

Her capacity to intervene is limited because the exams commission operates independently of her department.

In a statement last night, the commission said: "In organising the examinations the commission operates to very tight deadlines but was able to use the margin of safety built into the system to effect the replacement of the [Leaving Cert English] paper at a very late stage.

"The work involved in replacing this paper was significant, put the examinations system under extreme pressure and carried with it attendant risks.

"The commission's capacity to fully replace a paper on a nationwide basis at short notice to meet the published timetable is constrained given the operational and security factors involved."