“Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has confirmed that the thousands of extra college places introduced this year because of the pandemic are here to stay. Harris will also introduce 2,000 additional higher education places this year ‘to deal with the demographic pressures’ that the sector is currently facing …” (more)
[Cormac Watson, University Times, 15 January]
“Pressure is growing on Education Minster Norma Foley to consider an alternative to the traditional Leaving Cert. Several TDs raised the issue with the minister in the Dáil yesterday, with some supporting a return to calculated grades or a ‘hybrid model’, and all seeking an early decision on the fate of the exams …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 15 January]
“Leaving Certificate students must be offered the choice to opt for predictive grades or sit their exams in June, a national council of parents has said. The Education and Training Board (ETB) Schools National Parents’ Association is calling on the Government to make a decision about how the process will run to provide ‘clarity and certainty’ …” (more)
[Ellen O’Riordan, Irish Times, 11 January]
“Education Minister Norma Foley, teacher unions and other education partners have agreed they want the Leaving Cert to go ahead – but they are no closer to getting sixth years back into the classroom. Less than 24 hours after teacher unions pulled the plug on plans to reopen schools on Monday for 60,000 Leaving Cert students and 18,000 pupils with special needs, a new round of talks was under way in an effort to find agreement …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 9 January]
“Education Minister Norma Foley is casting doubt over whether Leaving Cert exams can go ahead after a three day week for sixth years was ruled out by teacher unions. The minister was forced into a U-turn on the partial re-opening of schools from Monday to allow 60,000 students continue face to face teaching in the crucial run up to the exams …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 8 January]
“Holding a traditional Leaving Cert this summer is still the Government’s ‘firm objective’ despite schools remaining closed until February, education minister Norma Foley has said. Earlier this evening, the ASTI directed its members not to engage with the Department of Education’s plan to reopen schools to Leaving Cert students from next Monday due to ‘health and safety concerns’ …” (more)
[Eoghan Moloney, Independent, 7 January]
“The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science today announced the publication of Education Indicators 2020 – a special report which sets out to provide a comprehensive set of educational indicators for the education system in Ireland. The data in the report cover all levels of education …” (more)
[Department of Education, 28 December]
“Students could get Leaving Cert points for completing accredited work experience or apprenticeships while still in school under draft plans being examined for reforming the senior cycle. An advisory report on proposals to reform the senior cycle is being finalised by the State advisory body on the curriculum and is due to be sent to the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, early next year …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 21 December]
“The Minister for Education breached commitments to keep the 2020 Leaving Certificate fair and accurate and comparable to other years’ results by not including historical school data in the calculated grade process, the High Court has heard …” (more)
[Independent, 9 December]
“The Minister for Education breached commitments to keep the 2020 Leaving Certificate fair and accurate, and comparable to other years results, in failing to include historical school data in the calculated grade process, the High Court has been told …” (more)
[Aodhan O’Faolain, Irish Times, 8 December]
“The use of data on schools’ past Leaving Cert performance would have allowed for ‘good calculations’ to be made for students’ calculated grades, according to internal briefing papers prepared for the Minister for Education. The documents were prepared last June for Norma Foley prior to the Government’s decision on September 1st to remove school-by-school historical records on Leaving Cert achievement in determining students’ calculated grades …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 3 November]
“Secondary students are feeling ‘unrelenting pressure’ as a result of constant testing from teachers who say the results may determine their Leaving Cert grades if exams are cancelled next year. The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union will tell the Oireachtas education committee on Thursday that many exam-year classes are sitting monthly or weekly exams …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 25 November]
“There is ‘overwhelming’ evidence that schools remain safe settings and they will continue to operate during the Level 5 restrictions, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said. In a statement, she said the move to increase public health restrictions will support schools to continue to operate safely and sustainably during the pandemic …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 20 October]
“Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will constitute an independent inquiry into the 2020 leaving certificate which would examine the circumstances leading to the cancellation of the exam, the design and implementation of the calculated grades system, the ensuing errors and omissions and the knock-on effect on the CAO process; and if she will make a statement on the matter …” (more)
[Dáil debates, 14 October]
“The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD has updated Leaving Certificate 2020 students on matters relating to the corrected, higher Calculated Grades which are to issue to some students. The Department of Education and Skills will re-open the student Calculated Grades portal at 6pm today, Saturday 3 October, and all students who are due to receive corrected, higher grades, will be able to access their results …” (more)
[Department of Education and Skills, 3 October]
“The Dáil’s spending watchdog is expected to call in senior Department of Education officials to answer questions over the contract awarded to Polymetrika, the Canadian company at the centre of the latest Leaving Cert calculated grades controversy …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly and Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 3 October]
“For the leaving certificate class of 2020, it has been nothing but an enduring struggle. The constant confusion around the predicted grades system left a lot to be desired, but yesterday’s revelations that over 6500 students – or 10% of the overall examination number – have received an incorrect grade would be almost laughable, if it weren’t so tragic …” (more)
[Orla Murnaghan, University Times, 1 October]
“Minister for Education Norma Foley has said that the maximum number of third level places possible will be made available to students who have been impacted by the errors in the calculated grades system. Up to 1,000 extra college places may be needed for students due to errors in calculated grades issued to thousands of Leaving Cert candidates …” (more)
[Vivienne Clarke, Irish Times, 1 October]
“Cabinet ministers and Leaving Certificate students were ‘kept in the dark’ over the calculated grades errors, it has been claimed. Sinn Fein’s Donnchadh O Laoghaire said there was a ‘striking’ lack of clarity over exactly who knew what and when about the errors in the system …” (more)
[Michelle Devane, Belfast Telegraph, 1 October]
“As the college year struggles to an uncertain start, 6,500 students and their families have been hit with a bombshell. Errors in their Leaving Certificate grading raise serious questions, with major emotional, financial and logistical implications about their future lives …” (more)
[Independent, 1 October]
