Letters: Department of Education rushing into Leaving Cert changes that could hurt some students

Irish Independent

17-05-2025

Some would say this is a long overdue fix to a very high-stress system of doing things. Others believe it is rushed and unclear. Many people are worried that this new format is wide open to problems.
It could be argued that Leaving Certificate projects will favour students with access to help at home, especially if their parents are well- educated professionals.
I was wondering how this new system will impact on ADHD students as they might abhor the idea of continuous assessment? This cohort could very well prefer one exam because it would then be done and dusted for them. I believe the Department of Education is rushing into these changes.
John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
So, septic tanks are not up to scratch in certain areas? That's rich
I read in the Irish Independent (May 14) that thousands of septic tanks are not up to the required standard. No doubt, these are located in the more effluent parts of the country.
Noel Kelly, Doonbeg, Co Clare
Pope Leo's Ballyboden link shows new pontiff is a master of the one-liner
The story of Pope Leo XIV's email to Ballyboden's Fr Noel Hession ('I won't be able to drive you to the ­airport any more' – Pope's message to Dublin priest following conclave, May 15) brought to mind that old joke about the speeding driver: when the police officer radioed his station in a panic and said, 'I don't know who I've just pulled over, but the Pope is driving him.'
What a delight to read that Pope Leo once drove Fr Hession to the airport in Rome and is still warm enough to send a cheerfully ­apologetic email from the Vatican.
It says much about the man that he once perched on the stairs in Ballyboden for the sake of better wifi, and even more that he remembered the friendship.
Ireland has always had a flair for clerical one-liners, but this may be the first time a pope has managed one by email. I do hope Fr Hession printed it out quickly – he may now own the holiest out-of-office reply in history.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran, Co Armagh
I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but published letters are always music to my ears
Please allow me to say how interesting the letters published in the Irish Independent letters are and always have been. It is also an honour to sometimes see my own missives appear within these sacrosanct pages. Long may it continue.
Dominic Shelmerdine, London
Trump and Putin's silly games in not attending peace talks could cost lives
Everybody says they want peace in Ukraine, but they won't meet to talk about it despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's latest attempt to at least start face-to-face discussions in Istanbul.
Vladimir Putin didn't go, as indicated by the official list, because he is not interested in negotiations, just conquest. Maybe this is an honest response. Donald Trump also didn't go, because Putin wasn't going, and thus he wouldn't have been able to make a grandstand statement claiming all the credit. This is a response born out of self-interest.
People are dying, but it appears egos are more important. The world is heading the wrong way and we all know two leaders who are driving us all over the cliff.
Denis Fitzgerald, Melbourne
Adventurous Leo and Lyra proved on reality show they are both survivors
It appears to have been a fair old test of endurance for Leo Varadkar and singer Lyra on RTÉ's celebrity adventure show, Uncharted with Ray Goggins (Irish Independent, May 15). But they both saw it through to the bitter end, so it's fair to say one was delirah for Lyra, and indeed excirah for Leo!
Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9
Oliver Callan's garden stories have planted an idea or two in my head
Oliver Callan's whimsical treatise on the pleasures, and the hidden dangers, of tending the Irish garden was a delightful read that brought a smile to my wrinkled face (Irish Independent, May 15).
As an allotment holder, I have long realised that there is no way to hold back the surging tide of briars, nettles and weeds. No matter how many times I cut off their nodding seed-laden heads, they come back – often more profusely than before.
With experience comes wisdom. So it is that I've discovered it is better to live in harmony with my weedy guests, sharing with them the dark, damp soil that gives life to all. Now if only I could find a way to live peaceably with the snails, slugs and pigeons, my blood pressure would be far healthier.
Seán Kirwan, Bray, Co Wicklow
Amorim could end up paying the price at United, but not in the usual way
I read that Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has dipped into his own pocket to pay for 30 of the club's staff to attend next week's Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao. Given the club's penny-pinching under Ineos, the coach may have to use more of his hard-earned cash to buy a few players over the summer.
Daniel Caldwell, Dublin 13
Refugees bear brunt of water scarcity, so let's find a solution to this problem
Eamon Kearney is right that harvesting rainfall is a cost-effective way to offset water shortages (Letters, May 15). Water is a universal and inalienable human right. ​
Armed conflicts, human rights transgressions and violence disturb the equal and fair distribution of water resources. Refugees in places such as Bangladesh and Jordan are bearing the brunt of water dearth in terms of unsanitary conditions, waterborne diseases, overflowing and clogged latrines, and environmental vulnerabilities. ​It's time to search for innovative solutions to tackle water scarcity in an environmentally friendly way.
Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London