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21 Nov 2025
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21 Nov 2025
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Former Minister for Education Helen McEntee has announced that extra exam time will be allocated to students with dyslexia and dyscalculia during a meeting of the Seanad on November 18.
The news has been welcomed locally by Independent councillor James Gilmartin, who in March proposed a motion to Leitrim County Council calling on the Minister for Education to introduce stand-alone additional time for students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and other learning difficulties in second-level exams.
Speaking in the Seanad, Minister McEntee said, “In the very core element of this, there will be additional time. Students will know very soon what that criteria is and how it will be applied. It won’t be for a small cohort on a pilot basis, this will be for everybody who fits the eligibility criteria.”
The initiative is set to begin for students sitting the Leaving Cert in 2026. This practice is already widely implemented across Europe.
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Responding to the confirmation of extra exam time, Cllr Gilmartin said, “This is extremely good news. It will remove the stress from students who have dyslexia, knowing they will be able to get the exam finished in time and it’s not a reflection of their academic ability. It’s a very good news story and I’m delighted to hear it.”
Minister McEntee also confirmed that the change will not only apply to students with dyslexia and dyscalculia but will “of course apply to many other students.”
A schoolteacher himself, Cllr Gilmartin previously highlighted when bringing forward the motion to Leitrim County Council, “There is support in place for children who would have high level needs but a lot of students are excluded from this. This is common practice across Europe and in third level in Ireland that additional time is given to students with learning difficulties,” also noting that one in 10 people in Ireland have dyslexia.
“We’re still awaiting the publication of the full criteria, but this is undoubtedly a huge step forward for countless dyslexic students and their families. A real win for fairness, inclusion, and equal opportunity in education,” he added.
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