We are extremely disappointed by the announcement that the Government will be reverting to a traditional exam model this year.

Nearly 10,00 of you signed our petition calling for a hybrid Leaving Cert this year. The government have had plenty of time to develop a suitable alternative. The conservatism at the heart of education in Ireland has been exposed again.

In some good news, our education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD wrote to the Minister for Education yesterday and asked her to waive the exam fees for 2022 for junior and leaving cert students, today the government have confirmed that these fees will be waived.

But this is not nearly enough.

The pandemic has shown us that the traditional Leaving Certificate is not the only conceivable model. It has also highlighted the many other inequalities that exist in our education system such as outdated schools admissions processes and single gender schools. We need a new deal for education in Ireland and the Labour Party will be pushing on the government to deliver its commitment set out in the programme for government for a Citizen’s Assembly on the Future of Education.

Thank you to all of you who joined us in our campaign for a hybrid Leaving Cert. We need to ensure that we have an education system that works for everyone.