Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 July 2020
166. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the decision to postpone the leaving certificate results from 13 August to 7 September 2020; the measures that will be taken to ensure students will be able to secure accommodation in view of the fact they will be starting later than other students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17798/20]
View answerAs a result of the Covid-19 pandemic a system of Calculated Grades was put in place by my predecessor due to the inability to run the Leaving Certificate examinations as normal this year. The purpose of this process is to allow as many students as possible to progress to employment, further education and training, or higher education in a way that is fair and equitable to all Leaving Certificate students.
When my predecessor announced that students would be provided with the opportunity to receive Calculated Grades, he announced that the results would be as close as possible to the traditional date for release of Leaving Certificate results. At no time was 13 August announced as the date of release of Calculated Grades results.
On 16 July, I announced that students will receive their Calculated Grades on 7 September. This is the earliest possible release date given the rigorous and robust quality assurance checks required to ensure the process has executed with equity and fairness to all students and to ensure that the 2020 results enjoy the same status as those of previous years.
CAO first round offers are expected to issue on 11 September 2020. As in other years, the Calculated Grades results will have been provided to the CAO a short time in advance.
In relation to student accommodation, many Higher Education Institutions set aside a portion of their accommodation for first year students, which may be of assistance to students sourcing accommodation. However while I would hope that accommodation providers would show flexibility to students in the current times, agreements between students and accommodation providers are a private matter and neither I nor my Department have any remit to issue instructions in relation to the rental market.
