The government has gone back on its decision to send leaving certificate students to school three days a week, opting instead to have them continue online learning until the end of January.
Virgin Media News reporter Gavan Reilly wrote on Twitter this evening: “Government sources say Leaving Cert students will revert to remote learning 5-days-a-week until the end of January.”
It is understood that Minister for Education Norma Foley will meet with education stakeholders tomorrow to discuss arrangements for these students, as well as how best to continue with the leaving certificate as planned in June.
The initial decision to have leaving certificate students return to in-person teaching was sharply criticised by teachers’ unions, with the Association for Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) telling its members not to co-operate with the plan.
The Irish Times reported that the ASTI’s standing committee met this afternoon and noted that it had not been consulted before the re-opening announcement.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said in a press conference yesterday that schools were safe for students, and that the problem was instead with the mobilisation of students. There are almost 60,000 leaving certificate students at present.
Minister for Education Norma Foley said at the press conference that while schools were “safe environments”, there was “far too much movement in society”, and that that was why the decision to close schools for most students was made.
Foley noted that leaving certificate exams were “successfully” run in November, “without a hitch, without a glitch”.
Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris said yesterday that only the “most essential work” will be allowed to take place on university campuses.
There will be further restrictions to on-campus activities, and universities will continue to operate primarily online.
In a press statement, Harris said: “The COVID-19 situation is continuing to deteriorate significantly and we must all play our part.”
“This has been an incredibly challenging year for our colleges, students, our community educators but we all must restrict our movements to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
