The State Exams Commission decided to proceed with a Junior Cert question about "travelling on the schoolbus" despite staff concerns about its insensitivity, writes Seán Flynn, Education Editor.
Objections to the Junior Cert ordinary level essay question were raised in the days following the Co Meath schoolbus crash on May 23rd.
However, senior officials took the view later that week that it would not have been "feasible" to provide an alternative paper in the two-week run-in to the exam. One source said: "We had to decide whether we should pull the paper, and whether we could in the time available.
"But once it was clear it was not feasible to replace the paper we had no alternative but to proceed."
The commission says it would have had to print 25,000 new English exam papers, each of which runs to 16 pages. It would also have had to be distributed to 2,200 centres. In all, over 400,000 new pages would have had to be printed.
The controversial exam paper was finalised before Christmas and printed in February.
Last night Minister for Education Mary Hanafin received a report on the incident, which is a serious embarrassment for the commission. However, her scope to take action is limited as the commission, established three years ago, is independent of her department.
The school in Navan where four of the five schoolgirls killed in last month's school bus crash were pupils has expressed shock over the essay title. A spokesperson for Loreto Convent secondary school said there was "a deep sense of shock" over the question.
President of the National Parents' Council Eleanor Petrie said a replacement paper should have been issued. Labour's Jan O'Sullivan also condemned the decision.
However, Catholic parents' representative Barbara Johnston said students were often faced with themes in exams which might be uncomfortable for them because of their personal circumstances.
It is known that the commission sets replacement exams in each subject in case of a leak or any other security breach.
Yesterday, the commission defended its decision."Candidates are expected to write about situations that reflect the reality of their daily lives. Inevitably, therefore, students will encounter . . . written texts , as well as aural and visual material, related to matters that may, at the time, impact on their lives - for example, accidents, violence, drug abuse, crime or poverty."