Leaving Cert students should be able to choose between a written exam or calculated grades in each subject this year.
The Cabinet education subcommittee of Ministers has signed-off on a Government plan for the Leaving, and they have proposed to scrap the Junior Cert written exams as part of it.
Minister for Education, Norma Foley, is now bringing the proposals to the teaching unions this evening, hoping to get their essential backing.
Meanwhile, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has compared the Department of Education to a “dysfunctional debs committee” over their botched plans to get schools reopened.
The Labour education spokesman slammed the delays in Minister Foley’s department sorting out school re-openings - and this summer’s Leaving Cert plans up to today.
He said: “I would describe the Department of Education as a dysfunctional school debs committee and I think that’s quite accurate because what we had yesterday was an announcement of a date, or at least word coming to the media, of a March of 1st which we would have welcomed.
“But then we heard the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste last night saying that that date had no validity.
“We all want schools to reopen.
“We want them to reopen safely, but unfortunately it’s come to the situation where we can’t believe anything that comes out of the Department of Education.”
