Joe Duffy has told his RTE Liveline listeners about his recurring nightmare.
In a chat about the upcoming Leaving Cert, the host said the stress of the exams impacts him to this day.
“Do you still get dreams about your Leaving Cert when you’re stressed? I do.
“You get dreams about going into the Leaving Cert and you’re half naked,” he admitted.
The conversation happened on Wednesday - just one day after Education Minister Norma Foley confirmed this year’s Leaving Cert and Junior Cycle will be held as exams only.
It comes after the Covid-19 pandemic forced an accredited grades system to be implemented.
Continuing with the nightmare anecdote, Duffy said: “The system seemed to have great appeal and great accommodation for students, especially around mental health.
“I don’t think anyone in the next 20, 30, 40 years will be having nightmares about the hybrid Leaving Cert.”
Minister Foley has said students will sit “radically different” Leaving Certs this year, and that the written tests will be “tailor-made” in recognition of the challenges students have faced.
Speaking on Wednesday, she said: “I have listened to and engaged with parents, teachers, students, school management bodies and I can confirm that the decision for the Leaving Certificate exams will take place in June.
“But they will be radically different exams from what students would have experienced in previous years, in 2018 and 2019. There will now be considerable choice on the paper and less content to be studied.
“For example, in maths, students would have 10 questions to answer, now they will have six.
“I want to make clear that the alterations on the papers extend beyond the papers, they extend into the oral, the practical and coursework. For example, the orals in Irish they would have had 20 to prepare for, now they have 10.
“This Leaving Cert is tailor-made for the circumstances of which we find ourselves and all of the students have faced and all of the challenges they have faced.”
Ms Foley said she is not in a position to provide for accredited grades and exams as 25% of the class of 2022 did not sit the Junior Cycle exam, and that the department does not have the data to offer the hybrid system.
Opposition parties have been stressing their opposition to the decision to rule out a hybrid option.
Sinn Fein education spokesperson Donnchadh O Laoghaire said there is “deep anger” among pupils and parents at the decision.
“The impact is huge. I think this is absolutely the wrong decision. The minister has adhered to tradition over what I believe was needed in terms of fairness and equality,” he said.
Separately, Minister Foley said Ms Foley confirmed there is still a commitment to review children wearing masks in schools before February 28.
