'It's not the definitive exam that it once was' -Leitrim principal talks Leaving Cert
Cormac Flynn, principal of Principal at the Mohill Community College said :‘There are so many more educational and career opportunities open to students’
A record number of students are set to start Leaving Cert, Leaving Cert Appliced and Junior Cert this week, with 146,553 candidates commencing their exams.
The Leitrim Observer spoke to a Leitrim principal about the intense pressure that students sometimes feel.
Cormac Flynn, principal of Principal at the Mohill Community College said that the Leaving Cert is not “the definitive exam that it once was in the past. There are so many more educational and career opportunities open to these students so it’s only a very step on what will be a very long journey of change and development for all these young students.”
Mr Flynn continued: “The proliferation of PLC courses on top of the well-established university courses along with the development of apprenticeships globally and regionally has meant that the opportunities and avenues open to these students are far greater than what would have been available to their parents.”
He stressed: “Students needs to realise that this is a very early baby step on a long journey.”
The exams will take place across 5,860 main and over 11,600 special examination centres throughout the network of over 800 post-primary schools, and other venues recognised by the SEC.
Mr Flynn stated: “While the Leaving Cert is considered, for a young person, a very high-stake exam in terms of their future prospects. I certainly wouldn’t belittle it in any way but it’s not the high-stake exam it once was.”
He added: “Everything moves so quickly now; nobody stands still anymore -it’s constant change and constant development and upskilling so it’s just a step in the process.”
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The exams will run until Tuesday, June 23rd, for Leaving Cert students (established and vocational); Thursday, June 11th, for Leaving Cert Applied students; and Monday, June 15th, for Junior Cycle students.