The SEC need examiners.
Education Minister, Norma Foley says she is “hopeful” that Leaving Cert students will have a results date before they sit exams.
She is meeting state exam chiefs today to discuss when the exam results will be issued to Leaving Cert students.
It’s not clear whether the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is ready to give the minister a release date.
Exam results were traditionally released mid-August but last year, pupils didn’t get their results until the first week of September.
The delay in publishing results is largely down to Covid and the lack of examiners but students want clarity on when they’ll receive their results.
The SEC rely on teachers to do this work every year.
There’s been a big boost in the recruitment of teachers this year with the commission offering a pay boost to those who take on the work load.
The SEC has also made a direct appeal to school leaders to encourage staff to sign up.
“It’s my absolute hope and expectation”
There’s just three weeks to go until the Leaving Certificate exams begin but Minister Foley believes there’ll be a results date released before that time.
She said: “It’s my absolute hope and expectation that they [SEC] will have the opportunity to deliver that within the August timeframe.
“But, I also recognise that they have unique circumstances over the past couple of years particularly, now that there’s a second sitting of Leaving Certificate Examinations.
“There’s also the commitment that was given, which was that there would be no cliff edge when it came to the achievement of students who sat exams during calculated grades.”
According to the Irish Independent, inflation was triggered by teachers’ involvement in marking their own students exams in 2020 and 2021.
This drove CAO points up by an average of 60 points.
