Ms Emer Neville:

As the national representative body for the second level students of Ireland, one of the core elements of our work is ensuring that students remain as core stakeholders in the decisions that affect them. We strive to represent, uplift and defend the student voice. When given the opportunity to present on an issue, we are always willing to work to find the solution. It is in this spirit that I present before the committee today.

The leaving certificate is a national affair. The examination makes front page news on an annual basis. All major national media outlets cover stories about the top achievers, emerging trends, the numbers of students seeking university admission. However, it should not be so controversial. The leaving certificate should merely be a mechanism for recognising students' learning outcomes in a fair manner at the end of second level education. So, one could ask why it attracts so much attention. No matter who you speak to about the leaving certificate examination, there is an almost perfect consensus that the system is in need of reform and that it has been for quite some time. The leaving certificate is almost a century old, yet those who sat the first examination would struggle to see a difference today. Some 51.6% of senior cycle students felt the leaving certificate did not accurately reflect their work over fifth and sixth year as per the ISSU's senior cycle report. We at the ISSU believe that the voices and experiences of students must be at the heart of the reform. After two years of not carrying out the traditional leaving certificate examination, students' voices are clear - change is needed now.

This morning, I would like to make three submissions to the committee from the perspective of the second level students of Ireland. The first is that assessment methods need to change in order to accommodate more diverse skills of students, and with an aim to alleviate the stress that is created by a high-pressure examination schedule at the end of two years of education.

We need to space out exams and even have separate examination periods in order to reduce undue pressure on students’ health and well-being. We need to promote more diverse examination and assessment methods, other than terminal exams which test fact regurgitation and the ability to write under time pressure. Additionally on this point, we note the current structure of senior cycle examinations particularly favours students with access to private tutoring services over students who do not. We need to implement assessments throughout the leaving certificate cycle that capture and reward students’ diverse learning abilities, and not just their memory.

Second, access routes to higher education must be addressed in an holistic way alongside discussion of examination reform and more investment to promote equality. The ISSU notes that Ireland ranks 38th out of the 38 OECD member countries on educational spending. We need to overhaul the points system, alongside an overhaul of the assessment methods, to allow students to gain points through a variety of assessment opportunities. We need to allow students to gain points and other forms of recognition through extracurricular achievements when applying to further and higher education programmes. We need to greatly increase the number of university admission places through access routes and normalise post-leaving certificate courses, apprenticeship programmes and other forms of further and higher education.

On the subject of an Ghaeilge agus oideachas trí Ghaeilge, further curricular reform is necessary in order to increase emphasis on oral Irish. The ISSU believes curricular reform that promotes the use of Irish as a living language would be beneficial and welcomed by students. From our consultations, students have expressed a strong preference for oral Irish, and learning to use the language in daily life, rather than an over-emphasis on poetry and more complex literature. Additionally, students noted that where young people exemplify a strong interest in Irish or, specifically, for students attending Gaelcholáistí, novels, prose and poetry studies, these should be offered as optional additional subjects. However, daily use and ability to speak Irish with confidence should remain at the forefront of learning outcomes for senior cycle Irish education.

In conclusion, based on feedback, consultations and a recent leaving certificate reform report carried out by the ISSU, it is clear to us that students do not want a return to a traditional leaving certificate. We can no longer continue to put plasters on a completely broken system. The solution is clear and it lies in the complete overhaul of the leaving certificate.