Leaving Cert cancellation was ‘right decision at right time’, says President of Maynooth

Posted in Fees, access and admissions, Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

Ireland“The president of Maynooth University, Professor Philip Nolan has said that the decision to cancel the Leaving Certificate examination this year was the ‘right decision at the right time’ and that Maynooth university expects to admit a ‘near to normal cohort’ of first year students this autumn …” (more)

[Vivienne Clarke, Irish Examiner, 11 May]

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DkIT President Welcomes Clarity Around Leaving Cert

Posted in Fees, access and admissions, Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

Ireland“Dundalk IT President Dr Michael Mulvey has welcomed the greater clarity provided by the Government in relation to this year’s Leaving Cert. Dr Mulvey said it was still the institute’s hope of welcoming new students this September, subject to public health guidelines …” (more)

[Talk of the Town, 11 May]

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Class of 2020 (1/4)

Posted in Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

Ireland“There are many reasons to feel very sorry for the Irish school leavers of 2020. Not even the disappointment of Olympics hopefuls can compare with how some of them must feel about not being able to run their race. After two full years of training and a young lifetime of build-up, that it all should come to this … The ‘Leaving’ is, after all, a rite of passage on a whole different scale to exams like the Abitur, the bac or A-levels …” (more)

[In a Strange Land, 11 May]

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Teachers’ unions seek clarity on predictive Leaving Cert grading

Posted in Legal issues, Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

Ireland“The country’s largest teachers’ union is seeking legal advice over fears teachers could be sued due to the calculated grades they give this year’s Leaving Cert students. There are also major concerns around schools reopening safely in September, given it was deemed unsafe for students to hold the Leaving Cert exams during July and August …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 11 May]

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Leaving Cert exams may have meant face masks and temperature checks

Posted in Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

“Students might have been required to wear face masks and have daily temperature checks if the Leaving Certificate exams had gone ahead this summer. The State Examinations Commission revealed the plans in a briefing given to the Minister for Education as part of deliberations as to whether or not to proceed with the exams …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 11 May]

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UCD and IMI make FT executive education rankings

Posted in Governance and administration on May 11th, 2020 by steve

“The UCD Smurfit Executive Development Centre and Irish Management Institute (IMI) have both been ranked among the best business schools globally. This is according to the 2020 Financial Times executive education rankings, which assess business schools across a number of criteria, including course quality, faculty, facilities and diversity …” (more)

[Irish Times, 11 May]

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It’s Hard to Understand Trinity’s Optimism About its Capital Projects

Posted in Governance and administration on May 11th, 2020 by steve

“The start of 2020 brought a spate of strategic plans from Ireland’s universities with one – major – commonality: big, ambitious promises focused largely around construction and capital projects. At the time, this Editorial Board wondered about the risks attached to embarking on such extravagant spending sprees, given the porous nature of higher education funding and the reliance of colleges on commercial revenue and international student fees …” (more)

[University Times, 10 May]

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Parents and pupils who try to influence Leaving Cert results face being reported to State

Posted in Teaching on May 11th, 2020 by steve

“Parents or students who seek to influence a Leaving Cert grade awarded by teachers will be reported to the Department of Education. The move comes amid evidence of pupils who were quick off the mark to send messages of appreciation to teachers, which could be interpreted as seeking favourable treatment, after it was announced that grades calculated by teachers would replace traditional exams …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 11 May]

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We’ve Got Leaving Cert Clarity – Now Students Need Certainty From Colleges

Posted in Fees, access and admissions, Governance and administration on May 11th, 2020 by steve

“Following months of uncertainty over the fate of the leaving certificate, this week brought the news that the exams will be postponed, and that students will receive calculated grades instead. The merits of this decision have been debated widely, but everyone seems to agree that clarity for students was the most important thing, and we’ve got that now …” (more)

[University Times, 10 May]

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