Minister for Education Norma Foley proposes scrapping hybrid Leaving Certificate

Minister for Education Norma Foley has proposed scrapping any plans for a hybrid Leaving Certificate (LC) later this year.

It follows after the General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), Kieran Christie, voiced concerns about the possibility of a hybrid LC for 2022 last month, according to RTÉ News.

RTÉ also reported last month that an online survey carried out by the Irish Second Level Students' Union found that 68 per cent of LC students want a hybrid State exam model this year; a move the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, said he was "fully supportive" of.

It is understood that the Department of Education believes it is not possible to adopt an accredited grades approach like last year.

The Dept cited the fact that one quarter of the students did not sit the Junior Cert, and therefore the necessary data would not be available to examiners.

While the proposal was welcomed by Green Party leader Eamon Ryan and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney, there have been critics to the proposal from Minister Foley.

Social Democrats Education Spokesperson Gary Gannon TD said in a recent statement that the decision not to proceed with a hybrid LC this year "is a crushing blow for students and their families."

He said: "This year is not a normal year, so we cannot have a ‘normal’ LC."

"The lived experience of Leaving Cert students, throughout these unprecedented two years, must be acknowledged by Minister for Education Norma Foley.

"It cannot be business as usual – simply because that makes life easier for the Minister and her Dept," he added.

His sentiments were echoed by Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty TD, who told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme that the decision to revert to a traditional leaving cert examination was a "desperate one".

He further referred to it as "a regressive step."