Sir, – I am writing, not on behalf of all sixth-year students in Ireland, but simply as one who is struggling. I believe the Government’s insistence on trying to make the perfect decision is only harming the people that it is trying to help.
What I have gathered from my friends and fellow students is that the uncertainty is the worst thing. We just want to be clued in about our futures.
For years people have told us that these exams aren’t important, and that we shouldn’t base our lives on the results. However, I think we have all come to a point where we can skip the sugar-coating and admit that they are very important.
The struggle around calculated or tested grades is a clear example of just how essential these exams are.
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Clearly the best solution is to have input from the sixth years. As the casualties of the Government’s decisions, or lack thereof, on the Leaving Certificate, we have no ulterior motive but to preserve our futures. Most of us are adults, so please treat us as such. – Yours, etc,
MIA McCULLOUGH,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – Is it the Government’s intention this year to test the stress levels of the Junior and Leaving Cert pupils rather than their academic achievements?
The silence is deafening regarding the Department of Education’s decision on important State exams. The deliberations, even under these difficult circumstances, show a lack of empathy or respect for the pupils caught in the State’s school system. Is it possible that you expect students to remain consistent and committed amidst such uncertainty?
Teachers, unions and Government must, for the sake of the pupils, if not the parents, arrive at a coherent decision as to the format of the Leaving Cert.
Other governments and student populations are looking at this issue in their rear-view mirror and are getting on with the business of learning with a clear goal ahead. By procrastinating, we are exploiting the goodwill and diligence of the students in the face of precarious online learning. – Yours, etc,
REBECCA O’GRADY,
Adare,
Limerick.