The JMB welcomes the Minister’s statement and the clarity it gives to students. We have been presented with a particularly difficult and complex set of circumstances this year, but we would consider that the way forward that has been outlined is balanced and proportionate and fair, and that it represents the best option for us at this time. Crucially, it ensures that the results for this year’s Leaving Certificate class group will match those of last year’s, which has been a major concern for the stakeholders trying to determine how best to proceed. We would also deem it important that Junior Cycle students are afforded the opportunity to sit the examinations and are very pleased that this is now the case.  

The welfare of our students is, of course, our primary concern. We hope that the rest of this year’s school experience will be as normative and as productive as possible for our students. It is incumbent on us now to do everything we can, in working with and for the students, to prepare them for the examinations in June. 

John Curtis, General Secretary