Incoming freshers are likely to start their college term “in October or November” due to the delayed correction of leaving certificate papers, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said today.
The Taoiseach speculated about the new starting time during a live-streamed session of the Dáil.
According to a report by Newstalk, the Taoiseach said that “the view is that there will be sufficient time then to correct the papers and allow this year’s current sixth years to begin the college term – but that will probably be late: it’ll probably be October or November”.
“But as soon as we’ve more information, as soon as we’ve more certainty around that, the Minister for Education will put that in the public domain”
The government announced on April 10th that this summer’s leaving certificate exams will be postponed until late July or early August.
It’s unclear yet what the news will mean for universities’ academic calendars.
In a video address last month, Provost Patrick Prendergast promised incoming students that “come the autumn, we will be welcoming many of you to our campus”.
“It might be slightly later than in previous years – it might be under slightly adjusted criteria”, he said, “but we will be welcoming you”.
“Every autumn, the university renews itself through the influx of new students.”
The Dáil session today consisted of 10 rounds of questions to the Taoiseach, with each party getting a seven minute slot, and each party leader was also given five minutes to make a statement. Parties were also given time to question Minister for Health Simon Harris and Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe.
Varadkar also said that the lifting on restrictions would take months, and did not confirm whether or not the lockdown will end on May 5th, as previously planned.
Trinity’s University Council last week approved a set of measures that mean students can opt to retake exams in order to improve their grades, even if they pass the first time.
Yesterday, the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) warned that optional resits in this year’s summer assessments “could place great pressure” on August’s supplemental exam period and raise questions about when the next academic year starts.
Speaking to The University Times, John Walsh, IFUT’s Trinity representative, warned: “If you have a very high level of resits, that could place great pressure on the supplemental session. So effectively the supplemental session could turn into a second annual session, and we’d be keen to avoid that, mainly for the sake of students.”
University of Limerick President Des Fitzgerald yesterday said to staff and students, in an email seen by The University Times, that the university is “now very unlikely to come back together physically as a community until some stage in the late summer”.
For current and postgraduate students, he said, “we are aiming and hoping for a September start but ultimately, the timelines will depend on progress in controlling the pandemic”.
