Sir, – While it is fully understandable that examiners will contract Covid at inconvenient times, it is not understandable that no contingency plans have been put in place to handle illness ("Some Leaving Cert oral exams postponed for 600 students", News, April 11th). Providing a back-up date of a month later was mainly there to help unfortunate students and not to accommodate a large number due to examiner illness.
These students have had their preparation ruined, and while one might argue that they get more time to prepare for the oral, it is not in line with the school schedule and other subjects will now be impacted to accommodate this change, resulting in these students being at a disadvantage versus others.
Many students and parents have turned to the State Examination Commission and the Minster of Education but they cannot answer what happens if a student or examiner gets Covid on the new dates.
One would, and should, expect more. – Yours, etc,
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JOACIM HALLSTRAND,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.