Sir, - Sean Flynn (Opinion, June 7th) quotes a teacher as likening the Leaving Cert to democracy: it may not be perfect, but it's the best available option. His article goes on to present the lack of cronyism in the exam as something of a virtue, rather than a right. I think this says as much about our society in general as it does about the education system.
The Leaving Cert is a starting point in an apparatus replete with desirable numbers and the attainment of such, from the three-figure points quotas to the six-figure salaries. The curriculum itself, I feel, does not foster intelligence but a sort of schematised ignorance. I liken the whole ordeal to something between a meat mincer and a one-armed bandit proffering a chewed ballpoint.
The fact that many art and music colleges use a system of interview as a supplement to the points quota should not be forgotten. Would it be untenable to use a similar system elsewhere in our third-level institutes?
Finally, as a student who sat the Leaving last year, I'd like to add that the aleatory nature of the exam should not be underestimated. God may not play dice, but that does not preclude certain deities in the educational hierarchy from doing so. - Yours, etc.,
Aidan Tynan, Silversprings Lawn, Tivoli, Cork.