Why are students faced with such a cruel CAO points system?

As Leaving Certificate students digest their results, we must acknowledge the unprecedented difficulty the class of 2023 faced in their journey through second-level education.

It is no surprise that once again we are talking about the undue stress and pressure that is put on students to perform. Once again we find ourselves talking about the lack of support for students with disabilities accessing the Dare and Hear access routes, the confusion students have regarding appeals and the cruel CAO points system.

The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) has put forward recommendations to reduce the amount of stress students face. Evidence has shown that continuous assessment creates a positive effect on students’ welfare. Students feel a sense of confidence going into their exam knowing they have marks already secured. This is something the ISSU will be pushing for in discussions regarding Senior Cycle redevelopment.

Student welfare must take precedence. Each year we see a build-up to Leaving Certificate results with the pressure building students are pushed to contact services. The National Parents and Students Leaving Cert Helpline serves as a base for students and parents to calm their nerves. (The helpline - staffed by guidance counsellors - operates until 2nd September. The ISSU encourages students to call it if they have any questions regarding their results: 1800 265 165.)

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‘Students are struggling in ways we haven’t seen before’

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We now have the opportunity to push for senior cycle reform and to use the Citizens Assembly on the future of education to consult with the public and students directly. It is crucial that the approach the Citizens’ Assembly takes is student-focused and that the outcomes reduce the stress put on students. It is also important to further ensure a long-term plan for senior cycle reform is put in place.

For this to succeed, all stakeholders must be involved to ensure a fair and balanced approach. The curriculum must reflect the reality of today’s world to give students the best experience possible. The ISSU has expressed interest to be part of the assembly, ensuring we highlight the experience of current students in the education system.

Ireland proclaims itself to be the land of saints and scholars. This is not obvious from the way we approach our education system. Ireland, according to a 2022 OECD report spends only 3.2 per cent of its GDP on education. The lowest among the OECD countries. A country which has produced academics such as Yeats, Robinson and Heaney should be leading on education reform to excel or best and brightest.

Students have been at the forefront in advocacy and change within the education sector over the last number of years. The ISSU has continued to use our seat on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to push for long-overdue change to the curriculum. Change that ensures that students are not put under undue pressure, change that ensures that SEN students are represented adequately, change that is student centred.

Strides in increasing student voice in all aspects of the education sector have been made, yet there is so much more to do.

With all being said, this is not to stress students out more. The ISSU congratulates all students and wishes them all the best for their future, be it higher education, the workforce or elsewhere. Irish society needs to be reminded this is an unusual time for students and they need all the support they can get from family, school communities and the media over the coming days.

Shari Irfan is the uachtarán of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union and Heather Doyle is the education officer