ISSU AGM 2014 - Election Results

The ISSU AGM  2014 took place today. We had a number of exceptional guest speakers, and there was a very productive day of both policy motions and democratic elections.There were a number of exceptional candidates who put themselves forward this year, and we are pleased to announce that the following candidates were elected:[table color="blue" name="National Student Excecutive 2014-2015"]

PRESIDENT	Craig McHugh
DEPUTY PRESIDENT	Robert C. O’ Donnell
EDUCATION OFFICER	Joanna Slewierska
EQUALITY OFFICER	Alex Fogarty
INTERNATIONAL OFFICER	Declan Burgess
OIFIGEACH NA GAEILGE	Dáire Murray
PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER	Bertie Nesirky
SECRETARY	Rob O’ Donnell
STUDENT COUNCIL SUPPORT OFFICER	Liam Corcoran
WELFARE OFFICER	Shay Mc Ardle

[/table]Mark Caffrey was returned as Honorary President and will chair the newly formed Former Executive Panel.All motions to AGM were carried. The newly elected NSE will assume office in May. 

School League Tables 2012

Following communications from a number of schools and individual students that there appear to have been a large number of inaccuracies in the "School League Tables" (which were widely published in the National Media this week), we are encouraging students and parents who read these tables to take them with a large pinch of salt. Even when accurate, school league tables only focus on one specific aspect of the student experience, and do not in any way fully reflect the development and many other achievements made throughout the school experience thanks to the hard word of students, parents and teachers alike, and we discourage anyone from using them as a significant measure of school performance.

ISSU Calls for Increased Security Measures in Wake of Leaving Certificate Security Breach

PRESS STATEMENT 08/06/12

Irish Second-Level Students' Union

*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

The Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) is disappointed by the Security Breach which will result in new Leaving Certificate Irish Paper One Exams and Aural CDs being distributed to schools in advance of Monday afternoon's exam. ISSU believes that more stringent security measures need to be put in place in the future to prevent further mistakes - particularly as there have been a number of similar incidents in recent years.  The Leaving Certificate Aural Exam was played to a number of groups sitting the Junior Certificate Exam yesterday morning, meaning that the recording and associated exam paper have to be replaced for the equivalent Leaving Certificate Exam on Monday.ISSU President, Dylan Grace said; "The State Examinations Commission are lucky in this case as there are a number of days between the Junior and Leaving Certificate Irish Aural exams so there is time to rectify the error without creating mass disruption.  However, we simply cannot keep having repeats of past mistakes which result in the significant costs of printing exam papers, producing CDs and distributing them nationwide.  While this won't create a direct disadvantage to any student, it is could potentially be playing on students' minds and causing them additional stress at an already stressful time.  We need to improve security measures to prevent these mistakes being repeated yet again."The ISSU are runnning a daily exam blog throughout the exams on www.issu.ieFor more please contact ISSU Communications Office, 01-443 4461, communications@issu.ie*****************ENDS *****************

The ISSU would like to remind all students that it is the State Examinations Commission prepares 2 papers for each exam every year, and that the contingency paper would have been made at the same time as the first paper in line with SEC examination protocol. Students should not be concerned about the implementation of an contingency paper, it means the SEC is protecting the integrity of the exam paper to ensure a fair exam for all candidates. Simply put, comparing the differences between the first paper and the contingency paper would be like comparing two different brands of milk. Candidates should concentrate on preparations for their Irish Exam as normal and try not to get distracted by any media hype this creates.

Minister Quinn welcomes Second Level Students’ Union proposals on naming the reformed junior cycle awards

Ruairi Quinn, T.D., Minister for Education and Skills today thanked the Irish Second Level Student’s Union for their report entitled “Naming the Reformed Junior Cycle”.Commenting on the report, the Minister said “I warmly welcome the effort that has been committed to this project by the ISSU.  Their use of text messaging, social media, email and consultation sessions to engage students on the topic has set an excellent example for creating dialogue with the students themselves.”The report is being published on the Department’s website www.education.ie, and is being forwarded to education stakeholders for further discussion.The report includes a number of potential names for the reformed junior cycle, including STARS (School-based, Teacher-led Assessment and Reporting System) and ICA (Irish Comprehensive Assessment).The report shows that students strongly welcome the proposed reforms and particularly the emphasis on active learning and the changed approach to assessment.  One participant in the consultation stated “I think it will prepare students for life after the exams, instead of just for the exams”.In welcoming the report, Minister Quinn said “Young people are uniquely placed to take the lead in redesigning their learning. It is precisely this engagement and enthusiasm for self directed learning which we are trying to promote in the reforms, developing important skills which will serve throughout life”.

How students can prevent the spread of influenza (flu) at school