The difficulty of the Leaving Certificate or Junior Certificate can be stressful enough without an illness or the death of a loved one. Repeating the Leaving Cert just might have become less of an ordeal. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) have voted to support a proposal that would allow JC and LC students the opportunity to repeat their exams during summer or autumn - finally! The committee voted on the motion during a conference in Killarney.
The ASTI tweeted out the planned proposal:
Motion 51- Examination Arrangements is overwhelmingly carried by Convention #ASTI17 pic.twitter.com/Ef0Egiyp28
— ASTI (@astiunion) April 19, 2017
At the present time, students are allowed sit their exams in special examination centres during their illness or loss but must sit their exams the same day as the other candidates.
According to The Irish Times, James Howley, a member of the union’s East Mayo branch, said only a small number of students actually experience death or mental trauma during their exam period and they should be given the opportunity to grieve and not have to repeat their exams on the anniversary of a family member's death :“For Leaving Cert students, the prospect of having to repeat a full year and re-sit their entire exams the following June, on the anniversary of the death of a close family member seems very harsh” Mr Howley stated.
The cash costs for students is massive; new books, the extra school uniform and the exam fees. Thankfully, the motion was passed and ASTI will be calling on to the Department of Education and Skills to change the current policy.
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Hooray!
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