THE TUI and the ASTI have issued a statement welcoming the shelving of proposed plans for students to sit Leaving Certificate Paper 1 in both English and Irish at the end of fifth year in 2024.

The statement said: "This is a welcome development, as we had stated at all times that this was an educationally regressive move that would have increased pressure on students, who would have faced a high stakes examination in both fifth and sixth year. To make matters worse, those who entered fifth year directly from third year – around 25% of the cohort – would have had three concurrent years of State examinations under the plan."

The unions say that teachers are in favour of positive, coherentlydevised change that enhances the education service. They maintain, however that a clear educational basis for this proposal was never presented.

"In this regard, it is clear that meaningful and continuing engagement and consultation that recognises and acknowledges the voice of the practitioners is required to ensure that future Senior Cycle change is educationally sound and, crucially, does not increase pressure on students", the statement said.

THE Union Of Students In Ireland, the Technological Higher Education Association and the Irish Universities Association have joined together to call on the Minister for Education to bring forward the date of the Leaving Certificate results.

The three organisations, representing students and higher education institutions, are calling for this year’s results to be available on their traditional mid-August date. Their joint call follows recent meetings with Department of Education officials who have indicated that 2023 results may not be released until September.

The organisations also want to see an acceleration of the Leaving Certificate examination reform process and say that it is essential that Ireland is brought into line with general EU standards where results are issued no later than end of July each year.

The groups say that this is the fourth year in a row in which the Leaving Cert results will have been delayed. It is acknowledged that the Covid pandemic was responsible for the delay in the first year, but when the rest of society has returned to normal following the pandemic, it is simply unacceptable that Leaving Certificate students are still suffering the after-effects.

The process is clearly cumbersome and overly bureaucratic and reflects a system that could be better connected. The organisations are calling on the Minister for Education to intervene immediately and to ensure that the 2023 results are issued in line with the pre-covid exams timeline. The Minister is also asked to accelerate the reform process to ensure that Leaving Certificate results in future years are published no later than July.

USI, THEA, and IUA say they are taking this stand in support of students. They are acutely conscious of the additional pressures and stresses associated with new entrants seeking to find accommodation at very short notice in an already tight market.

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