The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has wished all students the best of luck ahead of this year’s State examinations.
TUI represents 20,500 teachers and lecturers in second level, adult/further education and at third level
‘State examinations are of course important, but students should remember that they are not defined by any set of examination results and there has never been a wider range of alternative routes to reach their career of choice,’ TUI President Liz Farrell said.
Further comments from Liz Farrell below:
Students will be better prepared than they think
‘Students will have worked hard and will inevitably find that they are better prepared than they might think. Of course, common sense is critically important – students should take care of themselves. They should make sure to eat properly, sleep properly and take regular exercise and breaks from their studies.’
‘Students should take comfort in the fact that there has never been a wider range of alternative routes they can take to reach their career of choice.’
Resilience of the class of 2023 – special measures welcome
‘We must acknowledge that the class of 2023 has progressed through an extremely challenging period due to the effects of COVID-19. As a result, the TUI advocated for and secured adjustments to this year’s examinations to take account of the disruption to teaching and learning. Students should be proud of the resilience that they have displayed to date.’
‘In this regard, we welcomed the recent announcement by the Minister for Education in relation to similar adjustments to assessment arrangements for students due to sit State examinations in 2024.’
‘We also welcome the provision of a deferred sitting for those candidates who have suffered a bereavement or major illness or injury. This is a critically important and progressive measure.’
Mature students and those who only acquired English recently
‘Many students sitting the examinations may only have acquired English recently and deserve special credit, and we pay particular tribute to mature students who took the brave decision to return to education.’
The support of parents, guardians and teachers
‘The support of parents and guardians should not be forgotten, nor should the dedication of teachers in ensuring that all students get a fair opportunity to realise their own particular academic potential.’
Public trust in the State examinations must be maintained
‘TUI welcomed many elements of last year’s announcement in relation to Senior Cycle reform, but State certification and external assessment must be retained. The shelving of a flawed plan for students to sit Paper 1 of English and Irish in fifth year was a positive development, but real and ongoing engagement with unions is now required to ensure fairness for all students.’
‘There is a lot more to the modern Leaving Certificate than the final written exams, and TUI has always been in favour of additional components of assessment such as orals, aurals, project and portfolio work. Right now, 27 of 41 subjects at Senior Cycle have second (and sometimes third) components of assessment. These are externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission and this protects their integrity and reliability.’
CAO points obsession
‘Once again, it is worth highlighting that the excessive focus on CAO points is not a flaw of the current Senior Cycle itself. It is an unfortunate by-product of our national obsession with progression to third level, an obsession that distorts the true meaning of education and invites unfair and invalid comparisons between schools.’