Sir, – I note that the State Examination Commission is urgently seeking exam markers with just over a week to go before the start of the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert (News, May 24th). It is urging retired and newly qualified teachers to apply.
As a mother of both Junior Cert and Leaving Cert students, I am quite concerned that my children’s exam papers may be corrected by a retired teacher or a newly qualified teacher.
How informed are they on the changes that were introduced and what experience has a newly qualified teacher in marking exam papers?
I do, however, believe that newly qualified teachers should be made to mark papers as part of their post-qualification experience, but only after they have been teaching the curriculum for two years.
The exam commissioners have had a year to prepare. Surely these hardworking students deserve better. – Yours, etc,
ORLA McBRIDE,
Dundalk,
Co Louth.