Sir, – I refer to Carl O’Brien’s article “Why second-level teachers are protesting” (Education, November 20th), and would first point out that every “reform” is not necessarily improvement.
If it is now proposed to allocate 40 per cent of marks in some Leaving Certificate subjects, to projects or other work to be carried out unsupervised, eg at home, surely this is quite unrealistic, especially under today’s conditions. What parent is there who will not want to intervene and help their child if they have the relevant expertise to do so? Some will, some won’t. But, given the virtual “industry” in projects, essays, etc, now accessible online to everyone who can pay, surely this changed context undermines the reliability, and therefore the trustworthiness, of those parts of the examination.
Whatever its shortcomings, this exam has long been seen by the public as trustworthy. Please let us keep it so. – Yours, etc,
DESMOND SWAN,
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(Emeritus Professor of Education,
University College Dublin),
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.