NEWS RELEASE

DATE: 20 / 01 / 2022

For Immediate Release

ISSU and NPCPP Joint Statement: Students and Parents agree that a Hybrid State Exams Model is required.

Over the past week, the Irish Second-Level Students Union (ISSU) and the National Parents Council Post-Primary (NPCPP) have conducted surveys of students and parents, both of which have received extensive engagement.

The ISSU’s survey had over 41,000 responses before validation and saw responses from 1 in 3 senior cycle students and a further 1 in 7 junior cycle students. Similarly, the NPCPP survey remains live and has received over 5,000 validated responses to date. The results of both surveys show a common sentiment from parents and students; that a hybrid model should be adopted for this year’s state exams. The ISSU survey saw 68% of Leaving Certificate students put a hybrid model as their first preference. This was mirrored in the NPCPP’s survey where 65% of parents preferred a hybrid model – including 51% seeking a similar model to that offered in 2021, for the leaving certificate class of 2022. The hybrid model was successfully implemented for the class of 2021 and ensured that every student was given the opportunity for a fair assessment.

A similar result was seen for the Junior Cycle exams which saw that students overwhelmingly agreed that the Junior Certificate cannot go ahead as planned with 63% of students indicating that some form of calculated grading would be their preferred option. 84% of parents agree that the Junior Certificate must be adjusted.

Students and their families have seen very significant disruption to school and classroom time which has hindered their exam preparation, continues to cause a high level of stress and has exaggerated the disadvantages and inequity already evident.

Ahead of the Advisory Group meeting on the state examinations both the ISSU and NPCPP have shared their survey results with education stakeholders and are hopeful for an open and constructive discussion on the 2022 state exams with a decision being made as soon as possible.

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For more information, please contact:
Emer Neville, ISSU Uachtarán – 01 443 4461/087 384 7371
NPCPP – communications@npcpp.ie – 085 8613992

Notes to editor:
The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU) is the national representative body for second-level school students in the Republic of Ireland. The ISSU towards an education system in which the views, opinions and contributions of students are respected and in which students are recognised as an official partner in creating an education that is centered around and caters best for students.

The National Parents Council Post Primary (NPCPP) is the national representative body for parents of students in post primary schools in Ireland. The NPCPP works as an umbrella group for parent associations in the secondary sector of the Irish education system. We unite parents, advocate for them and ensure their participation and inclusion at all levels of the post primary education system.