Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We are a couple of weeks out from this year's leaving certificate examinations and there is still no certainty about when those exam results will be released. It was anticipated that we would see a return to the traditional mid-August release, but the Minister for Education is unable to confirm whether this will be the case. Recent media comments by the Minister for Education appear to blame the State Examinations Commission, SEC, for not being able to confirm the date. The Minister also cited the second-chance exams and the shortage of examiners, as if these were matters outside of her control. Of the 60,000 students who sat the leaving certificate last year, just 397 students availed of the State exam's second sitting, and the Minister has had 12 months to address any staff shortages. It is also important to note that the numbers sitting this year's leaving certificate exams are only marginally higher, and access to those second-chance exams remains extremely limited. People need to know when the leaving certificate results will be out.

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