Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education Thomas Byrne has called on the Minister for Education to give absolute certainty to Junior Cert students on what his Department’s plans are for the exam.
Deputy Byrne said the mixed messages, that the exams were cancelled, that they would be held in the classroom, that schools could use the official state examinations paper if they wished or that they can correct any exams themselves, were just confusing for students, their parents and for teachers.
He said, “While I understand it is hard for the Department to give certainty on the Leaving Certificate at the minute, I can see no good reason why they can’t give absolute clarity on the Junior Cert.
“The Taoiseach’s announcement that the Junior Cert would be cancelled and replaced by in classroom exams in September left more questions than answers with some schools starting to announce, in a vacuum of information, that they will now do their own thing.
“This isn’t good enough and is just going to lead to confusion across the board. The Department have moved to say that any Junior Cert exams completed in the classroom will not be used for any form of state certification, why not? They need inform us of the logic behind that decision.
“The Minister must show some leadership, he needs to make a decision on the Junior Cert and he must communicate it clearly to teachers, students and their parents,” he concluded.
