‘Students who have suffered as a result of Calculated Grades coding error must not lose out’ – TUI

By piofficer, Wednesday, 30th September 2020 | 0 comments

Speaking today in relation to coding errors in the Calculated Grades system, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) General Secretary Michael Gillespie gave the following comments: 
 

‘It is regrettable in the extreme that these errors have occurred. Our first thought is for the students of the 2020 class and their families, who are now facing yet more anxiety, stress and uncertainty. 


It is important to highlight that this was a coding error and nothing whatsoever to do with the input of teachers and schools, who carried out all their duties under the process with integrity and distinction.  


The priority must be to ensure that any student whose grades were negatively affected must now have the error made good. While some students affected would in any event have already received an offer for the third level course that they wanted, others may not. For those who lost out on the course that they wanted as a result of this error, arrangements must now be put in place to make good their loss.  


The clear preference of the TUI was always that the written Leaving Certificate examinations would proceed, but the Union recognised that this was not possible due to the public health emergency and engaged in the Calculated Grades process to allow students to progress to the next stage of their lives. Once again, when viewed against alternative options, the value of the traditional, independent Leaving Certificate and the public trust it enjoys should be apparent to all.’  

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