“A decision taken with the best interests of students at heart”. The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, has today confirmed the Leaving Certificate Established and Leaving Certificate Applied examinations will not be taking place in the traditional manner this year.

The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has welcomed this clarity, and has acknowledged the significant work by the Department of Education and Skills in thoughtfully engaging with the ISSU through the forum of the advisory group which has been pivotal  in recent weeks. 

Active student representation as a true partner in education is fundamental to the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, 2019. The advisory group has collaborated and productively engaged with all stakeholders and the ISSU looks forward to continued engagement with the Department on this and other matters. 

Definite clarity surrounding the examination intentions has come as great relief to many students . It is clear that student’s well-being, anxiety and stress levels have been at an all time high - and young people should seek the support available to them. The ISSU has seen unprecedented engagement rates over the past number of months and overwhelming response from all students. 

Speaking after today’s announcement, Ciara Fanning (ISSU President) said:

“Actively engaging with students through structured dialogue can bring about unprecedented change for unprecedented times. We will continue to represent students to ensure fairness and equity in the revised decision. We’re inspired by the engagement levels we’ve seen in recent weeks and following this crisis we will begin highlighting our campaign for modernisation of the Senior Cycle programme”.