Parents have called for an update on the issuing of Junior Cert results a month on from their usual release.
The Junior Cert results are routinely issued each September but their release has been significantly delayed this year. The State Examinations Commission previously stated that the appeal of Leaving Cert results, which were sent out in September, would take priority over Junior Cert results.
However, parents and students have not received an update as to when they can expect their results. Some parents have argued this causes their teenagers anxiety, as some students may rely on their Junior Cert results to determine whether they can take honours or ordinary level classes for their Leaving Cert.
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Lilian Healy has a 16-year-old son who is currently in Transition Year. She argues that this group of students, who had their first and second years in secondary school disrupted by the pandemic, have been left in limbo by the decision.
She told Dublin Live: “I’m not happy that the cohort who has had the most disruptive time due to Covid-19 are being treated as an afterthought. They deserve their results so they can get on with either enjoying TY or making Leaving Cert choices based on their results.”
She also pointed out that many parents were not happy with the decision to hold the exams in June despite the significant disruption to this age cohort’s studies. There are calls for Minister for Education Norma Foley to release a statement on the matter, which affects almost 70,000 students nationwide.
This year’s Junior Cert exams were the first in person ones held since 2019. The exams were scrapped for the next two years in accordance with public health guidelines.
The second sitting of the Leaving Cert exam, which was made accessible for students who contracted Covid-19 during the exam period, may account for the delay in issuing Junior Cert results. These exams ran until mid- July and could also be sat by students who had suffered a bereavement during the original exam timetable.
The State Examinations Commission confirmed that the Junior Cert results would not take priority until the completion of the Leaving Cert’s appeals process. Leaving Cert appeal outcomes will be issued on October 7 th .
They stated: "In parallel with the Leaving Certificate appeals, work on the processing of Junior Cycle results is ongoing, with marking complete in most subjects. Given the priority afforded to the Leaving Certificate appeals, we are not yet able to provide a date for the issue of the Junior Cycle results at this time. "
"Every effort will be made by the SEC to issue these results as soon as possible and to provide candidates, parents and schools with certainty about the arrangements for issuing the results in due course."
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