Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has said that it is quickly approaching make up your mind time for the government in respect of Leaving Cert exams.

He said that uncertainty and confusion for students must end, but that the government cannot announce a cancellation of exams without spelling out an alternative for how the Leaving Cert will be awarded and college admissions managed.

He said: 

“The level of stress and anxiety facing students at this time is immense, and the lack of clarity in respect of whether Leaving Cert exams will proceed or not is adding to this pressure.

“The government has made a lot of the current roadmap out of Covid-19 restrictions, but have refused to spell out the criteria to determine whether Leaving Cert exams will held or not.

“It is clear that the Leaving Cert cannot proceed unless it is safe for students. Similarly proceeding to plan for exams in July and August is pointless; if this is based only on a slim possibility of exams being held.

“If it is more likely than not that exams cannot be held, then we need a Plan B and to plan definitively for that contingency.

“There can be no more decisions taken in the dark and we cannot keep students in the dark any longer.

“If the government are going to cancel exams, they cannot announce this without telling students how the Leaving Cert is going to be awarded and how college admissions will be managed. This would – if anything – create more confusion, uncertainty and add to the stress that students are experiencing.

“It is fast approaching make up your mind time for the Minister for Education, and it is my strong view that we need a decision in place in the coming days, along with a detailed plan for how all of this will be managed.”