After a traumatic winter for students and their parents, the Leaving Cert results published today represent some good news for the 58,000 who took the exams. Inevitably, some will be disappointed but most are entitled to feel well pleased.
Grades in most subjects appear to have risen - the increases in higher level English and Maths are especially striking. It is a remarkable outcome given the uncertainty which surrounded the exam for more than one year, the abrupt rescheduling of the oral exams and the closure of most secondary schools for twelve days. As the Minister for Education, Dr Michael Woods, noted last night, both the students themselves and their teachers "clearly put in extra effort to ensure that candidates were prepared for the exams".
The success of the class of 2001 in overcoming the obstacles should not, however, obviate the need for radical restructuring of the exam. As the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has observed, the exam places an undue emphasis on rote learning and not enough on creative thinking and personal initiative. There is no continuous assessment. There are still no practicals in science subjects and there is no credit given for social skills or extra-curricular activities. Students remain under inordinate pressure to get it right on the big day.
For now, the focus for most Leaving Cert students will shift to next Tuesday when the CAO publishes the first round of college offers. The pressure to secure a place in coveted courses like medicine, law and veterinary medicine remains intense. But this is only part of the story. For most students, the points race is now less challenging than a decade ago.
The growth in third-level places and the decline in student numbers has helped to ease the pressure. There are now over 750 CAO courses on offer, compared to just over 100 a decade ago. In itself, this presents its own problems. The range of courses and their complexity can confuse and bewilder both students and their parents. Guidance counsellors have done much at school level to provide invaluable assistance but there is the strong sense that they are undervalued and under-resourced.
This morning, there is a need for both students - and their parents - to keep things in perspective as the results begin to flow. It is probably the case that the students who get their results today have never had it so good. Despite some turbulence, the economic climate remains good. Three-quarters of those who at the exam can expect a place in one of their top three degree course choices.