Education

James McDermott: Our education system has emerged from Covid in need of treatment

From grade inflation to trainee teachers checking state exams to the likelihood of chunks of the third-level syllabus being dropped, education has taken quite a battering in the pandemic

Testing times: grade inflation is not a victimless crime, as it puts college applicants from outside Ireland, and Leaving Cert candidates from 2019 or earlier, at a huge disadvantage

Articles about Leaving Certificate results have been silly-season staples for decades. But this year for the first time, those who graded the exams are as much a story as the grades they produced.

The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has had to rely on trainee teachers to do the job, leading to front-page headlines claiming that “unqualified teachers” have been hired to help mark state exams.

It’s easy to understand why grading work is attractive to ...