More than 56,000 candidates will begin the Leaving Certificate exams today. It is a stressful period in the life of any teenager. The Leaving Cert occupies a towering place in the Irish education landscape. A "good Leaving" is still seen as an essential passport to a good job and a successful career.
Through it all, it is to be hoped that the Class of 2004 retains some sense of perspective. Yes, the Leaving Cert is important and represents an important rite of passage. But, as one commentator notes in The Irish Times today, there is life after the exam. Unlike their predecessors, today's Leaving Cert students are spoilt for choice when it comes to third-level education and other options. Fewer students are chasing more and more places in further education. There is a plethora of choice available - even to those who may be disappointed with their performance in the exam hall this month.
For all that, there is much that is wrong with the Leaving Cert exam. There is a strong sense that it is something of a memory test, which places a premium on the recall of huge volumes of information. Although many courses have been revised and updated, it is still the case that the exam does not always do enough to promote self-learning or to reward such key attributes as initiative and flair.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) will tomorrow discuss radical proposals for reform of the exam. The NCCA, an advisory group to the Minister for Education and Science, is set to back a range of proposals, all designed to modernise and improve the Leaving Cert exam. The revised course will place a new onus on self-directed learning and make greater use of continuous assessment.
There will be difficulties in the way, not least opposition from some in the teacher unions to continuous assessment. But the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, should press ahead. As figures published recently demonstrate, about 12,500 young people leave school without the Leaving Cert. Many of these come from disadvantaged areas. Few will ever make it to third-level.
There is the strong sense that a significant swathe of our population is being left behind. Mr Dempsey is known to be dismayed by the continuing huge drop-out rate at Junior Cert level. The NCCA proposals provide a template for a more modern and relevant Leaving Cert. But they may also help to combat social inequality by giving thousands of teenagers a greater incentive to stay in school.