Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has called on Minister for Education Norma Foley to publish the system by which the predicted grades of the Leaving Certificate will be calculated, saying that it is imperative that the predicted grading does not negatively affect students on the basis of socio-economic background.

Teachta Crowe said:

“The Minister for Education has been dodging the question on just how the predicted grades for the Leaving Cert will be calculated. I am calling on the Minister to publish the model in the interests of transparency and ensuring that all students get a fair shake in these unusual times.

“Leaving Cert students and their parents are deeply worried as a result of seeing the predicted grades system in Britain producing very skewed grades, particularly in working class areas. If the Minister doesn’t produce the model, how do we know that it isn’t the exact same system that has had to be essentially scrapped in other countries.

“I do not want the young people of Dublin South West held back by a Department of Education that only sees where they come from and not what their potential allows.

“This can be the difference between a student getting a college place or being forced to wait until they can sit the Leaving Cert proper and potentially miss out on an entire academic year. And of course, with COVID nothing is certain so we do not know when we could hold the Leaving Cert exams or in what format.

“If the Minister and Her Department pursue a methodology of standardising schools and lowering the grades for working class areas, it is deeply worrying. If it produces the same injustices and inequalities that we have seen in Britain, then it is the education of our children that we are gambling with.”