Special plea for trauma pupils

There have been calls for students to be allowed sit the Leaving Certificate later in the summer if they have suffered a bereavement or personal crisis in the run-up to the original exam.

This follows findings in a new survey which show that almost 7.5 per cent of those who repeat the exam have suffered a trauma or crisis on the first occasion. The traumas experienced could be a family break-up or a serious illness, according to the survey.

Four researchers attached to University College Cork found that a bereavement or other crisis greatly reduced the performance of a candidate and made it more likely they would repeat.

The team found that of 193 students who repeated the exam in eight Co Cork schools between 1995 and 1998, 15 were students who experienced trauma the year before. When taken on a national scale the survey claimed that of 24,044 students who repeated the exam between 1995 and 1998 some 1,770 were students in crisis. The survey suggested the figures would be higher among urban based schools.

The work was undertaken with teachers from the eight schools in the Co Cork area. They were asked how many students had a personal crisis each year in their school.

The Fine Gael TD, Mr David Stanton, who has asked several questions about the issue in the Dail, said the results of the survey showed students should be given a second chance to sit the exam.

"It should be possible for the Minister and the Department of Education to set up a scheme to allow such students to re-sit these examinations in August or September. This would allow them to compete for important places in third level courses and the job market," he said.

However yesterday the Department of Education said allowing a certain number of Leaving Certificate students take the exam in the autumn or late summer was not "logistically feasible" because of the way the exam process was set up and that there would also be a shortage of examiners to mark the papers at that particular time.

Ms Ann Lynch, one of four researchers who completed the work, said while bereavement was the main cause of trauma, other events like a girl having a baby could also cause a crisis.

She said that the research also sought the views of 35 teachers in the Co Cork area and they were almost unanimously in favour of offering the option of a sitting after the summer months.

Ms Lynch also said that if the student was forced to repeat the exam it would be taking place close to the anniversary of the traumatic event.

"We would suggest the repeat be done in late July or early August, so that students papers could be corrected before the end of the summer holidays," said Ms Lynch.