Teacher unions endorse call for oral exams to return to pre-pandemic dates

Teachers agreed to the holding of oral examinations at Easter on an exceptional basis during the Covid-19 emergency and have consistently advocated a return to the pre-pandemic status quo.

Student representative body ISSU have said the Easter break is an important time for students to take a much-needed break and teachers have endorsed their call for orals to return into the regular term.

The clear feedback from all in school communities is that rather than alleviating pressure on students, the holding of oral examinations at Easter time increases pressure, particularly for those taking more than one oral examination in this short time period, the unions stated.

“It is having a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of students who miss out on the collegiality and camaraderie normally available around the time of this high-pressure examination. Supports available within regular term calendar are simply not accessible, and the experience becomes overwhelming for some” the TUI and ASTI said in a joint statement.

ASTI President, Geraldine O’Brien, said the Easter break is “an important time for students to take a step back and take stock of where they are in their preparations for the Leaving Certificate Examinations”.

"They also need a break before the final push to June and we fully support their call for a restoration of that break”.

TUI President, David Waters said: ‘A survey of our members showed that 84pc of respondents wish to see the examinations take place in the established pre-COVID-19 manner.

"Clearly, students who have to undertake more than one oral examination during this short time period are now experiencing significant pressure, as the oral examinations previously took place over a longer time frame”.