Leaving Cert | Business Post

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

Joe McHugh: ‘It was such a novelty, waking up every morning and hanging out with my family’

Joe McHugh has spent 20 years as a politician at the forefront of Fine Gael, including a stint as minister for education, but a health scare and a change of pace during Covid-19 that allowed him spend more time with his family has persuaded him that a new career could be in order

Study app helps Leaving Cert students improve their performance

Ekker looks at a student’s working habits and helps them to use their time more efficiently

Leaving Cert ordinary-level Irish exam is ‘not fit for purpose’, says politician

FF backbencher and ex-Irish teacher Pádraig O’Sullivan says the exam is far too difficult for most students and that many are leaving pages blank

Chinese language adviser plan ‘should be shelved’

Dr Isabella Jackson of TCD has warned that employing a Chinese national to advise on the Leaving Cert Mandarin curriculum could compromise freedom of expression

At least two foreign governments are paying for language advisers for Leaving Cert curriculum

Academics and politicians are uneasy about the role of the Chinese state in developing the new Mandarin Leaving Cert curriculum

Leaving Cert algorithm expert providing ‘feedback’ on new system

Dr Fernando Cartwright, creator of last year’s Leaving Cert algorithm which resulted in thousands of students graded erroneously, has given advice to the Department of Education for this year

Radio review: Duffy delves into a Tale as old as time

Margaret Atwood’s feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale, which some teachers want removed from the Leaving Cert English curriculum, was the hot topic on last week’s Liveline

No reports of teachers being lobbied to boost exam grades

Government preparing new legislation to allow the Leaving Cert results of students to be permanently withheld if they lobby their teacher

The Leaving Cert is not fair but now we have a chance to change that

Research in education shows children quickly internalise their place in the pecking order and the Leaving Cert has merely reinforced this order, rather than providing the means to challenge it

Analysis: Foley’s description of the hybrid Leaving Cert as ‘fair’ is very much open to question

This year’s exam offers an opportunity for some canny students, puts pressure on teachers and could intensify the points race — but are there any viable alternatives?

Varadkar promises parents ‘clear message’ on schools in coming days

Tánaiste says Nphet advocated a ‘very gradual approach’ to children returning to the classroom

Malcolm Byrne: Algorithms can do more harm than good if not checked for bias

The design of the predicted grade system for the Leaving Cert must be fair, transparent and explained in detail – a rule the state should apply to all algorithmic decision-making

Coalition’s testing times amid schools return and Leaving Cert stand-off

The closure of 4,000 schools around the country looks likely to continue for at least another month, and the exams situation is still uncertain for Leaving Cert students

Short courses can be best way address ICT skills shortage

Micro qualifications can allow people to upskill quickly and address market needs

How long before Johnson’s Tory chums show him the door?

Boris Johnson and Donald Trump came to power on a tide of toxic nationalism. Trump may be on his way out but we could have another four years of a cynical and often incompetent British leader to deal with

‘This was a ministerial decree. That’s not the way to bring people with you’

This is the inside story of how the government did a U-turn on its proposed three-day week for Leaving Cert students after the teachers’ unions and students awarded Norma Foley a ‘fail’

Radio: Learning the hard way as a lockdown closes schools again

Parents and pupils expressed their worries on the airwaves about the weeks ahead as they faced into another spell of remote schooling