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Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- General
- Irish Examiner
Record number of students to sit State exams this year
A record number of students will today begin their Leaving Cert, Leaving Cert Applied and Junior Cycle exams as the 2025 State examinations begin. For the first time, the number of students beginning their exams today has surpassed 140,000, which the State Examination Commission (SEC) has linked to increasing demographics. Overall, the number of students set to take the 2025 exams increased by 3% when compared to last year; From 130,160 to 140,457. This includes 61,632 Leaving Certificate candidates, 4,512 final year Leaving Certificate Applied candidates and 74,313 Junior Cycle candidates. The most significant increases were recorded for the Leaving Certificate programme, up 5% when compared to 2024, and the Leaving Certificate Applied programme, which increased this year by 11%. This year also marks the beginning of moves to tackle grade inflation, which increased sharply post-pandemic. The SEC has been asked by the Department of Education to begin 'a gradual return to normal' Leaving Certificate grades in the main, which will involve a post-marking adjustment. This is expected to bring the overall Leaving Certificate results in the aggregate on average to a point broadly midway between the 2020 and 2021 levels. Education Minister Helen McEntee and Minister of State for Special Education Michael Moynihan wished students beginning their exams today good luck. Ms McEntee said: 'I know the amount of work and effort you have put in to reach this point. It is the culmination of many years of effort. 'This can be a very stressful time so I would remind everyone that when it comes to examinations, all we can do is our best. We are all very much behind you over the next few weeks, and I know that regardless of the outcome of these examinations, there will be many great opportunities ahead for you all.' Mr Moynihan said: 'I know the exam period can be a stressful time for students, so please do take care of yourselves and try to take some solace in the fact that there are many pathways to what you may hope to do next, some which you might not envisage at this point in time. You never know when or in what shape certain opportunities will arise. 'The skills and knowledge that you have learned during your schooling will stand to you during the examinations period, and throughout your life.' SEC chair Jacinta Stewart added: 'Today marks a real milestone in the educational journey for the thousands of candidates taking the State examinations. 'On behalf of my fellow commissioners and the staff of the SEC, I want to offer our sincere best wishes to all those taking examinations this year.' 'I also want to express my appreciation to parents and families as well as school communities for supporting these candidates at this very important time in their lives.'
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Puerto Rico permits nonbinary gender marker on birth certificates in landmark court decision
Puerto Rico's Supreme Court has reached a decision to allow nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people to update their birth certificates. The action was brought about by six non-binary individuals born in Puerto Rico who filed a lawsuit claiming that "the Commonwealth's current Birth Certificate Policy violates the right to equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, according to the court filing." The court's decision will now allow people who identify as nonbinary or gender-nonconforming to select "X" as their gender marker on birth certificates. Texas Lawmakers Considering Bill To Ban Gender Changes On Birth Certificates In the filing, the court explains that there would be no rational basis to deny the request. "The current Birth Certificate Policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disfavored treatment, without any justification for doing so. In such cases, it is the duty of the federal courts to intervene, to guarantee the equal protection of all persons under the law," it states. Read On The Fox News App Pedro Julio Serrano, president of Puerto Rico's LGBTQ+ Federation, called Friday's ruling a historic one that upholds equality, according to the Associated Press. Transgender People Sue Trump Administration Over New Passport Policy Eliminating 'X' Gender Marker The defendants named in the case opposed the request, arguing that "the government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico has a legitimate interest in maintaining vital records and statistics regarding its citizens." The filing argued that this argument ignores the fact that the Commonwealth already permits its citizens to amend information on their birth certificates, including modifying the gender marker. The legislators have already enacted legislation to ensure that, in the case of modifications, the original, unaltered birth certificates are preserved by the state. Puerto Rico joins at least 17 U.S. states that permit their residents to include the nonbinary or gender-neutral sex on their birth article source: Puerto Rico permits nonbinary gender marker on birth certificates in landmark court decision
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
See pictures from award ceremonies at Wicklow secondary school
Students, parents and staff from Scoil Chonglais in Baltinglass came together recently to celebrate their achievements and the graduating class of 2025 at a series of annual ceremonies. The school's annual awards ceremony honoured a range of achievements, with talented students receiving awards for extracurricular activities, impeccable attendance, kindness, academic excellence, and contribution to sports, with a student from each year also receiving a Student of the Year award. The class of 2025 also celebrated their graduation ceremony with a memorable evening of celebration and reflection with their families and staff. The students were thanked for their contributions to the school and were wished well in their Leaving Certificate examinations. Among those in receipt of awards on the night were Ciara Fleming, who took home the Dave Hallahan Memorial Cup for Student of the Year, while Jaseer Murphy was awarded the Kevin Brown Memorial Cup for Project of the Year, and Ross Nolan received the Parents' Council Sports Person of the Year Award. Adding to the school's end-of-year festivities, students entertained their classmates and parents at the ever-popular transition year showcase, where certificates were handed out to TY pupils for all their activities throughout the year. 'At Scoil Chonglais, we are very passionate about celebrating success – a big congratulations to all our students who strive to do their very best every day,' a school spokesperson said. 'Our school awards ceremony was all about celebrating the students' successes, while the TY showcase was a chance for students and their families to come together and acknowledge the great work they have done this year. 'A big congratulations to our class of 2025 – we are very proud of them all,' they added. 'We had such a lovely night celebrating with the class of 2025. Thank you to Ms Gallagher for helping students with their preparations for this very special night. Well done to all students.'
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Ceigall India receives completion certificate for Punjab highway project
Ceigall India Ltd has recently informed exchanges that the company received the Completion Certificate for a significant infrastructure project in Punjab, marking the successful conclusion of work awarded by the National Highway Division of the Public Works Department. The certificate, issued by the Office of the Executive Engineer, confirms that the project is fit for entry into operation as of 30th June 2024, with the formal certification dated 2nd June 2025. The project involved the rehabilitation and upgradation of a two-lane highway with paved shoulders, extending from Makhu (Design Chainage 0.000) to Arifke (Design Chainage 24.600), covering a total length of 24.6 kilometers. As part of the development, two Road Over Bridges (ROBs) were constructed to enhance connectivity and ease of travel. The work was undertaken under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model, with a bid project cost of INR 1,272.60 million. Ceigall India Ltd was awarded the contract on 31st March 2018. The project was completed within the authorised extension period, with the declared date of completion being 30th June 2024. This development contributes to the broader effort to upgrade national highway infrastructure, improving transportation efficiency in the region. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Science
- RTÉ News
How bonus points have changed Leaving Cert Maths
Analysis: There's no doubt that bonus points are driving the uptake of Higher Level maths, but the initiative has had unintended consequences This article is now available above as a Brainstorm podcast. You can subscribe to the Brainstorm podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. In Ireland, the proportion of students opting to complete their Leaving Certificate mathematics examinations at Higher Level (HL) has increased by 130% in 13 years. Such growth would suggest that significant progress is being made in mathematics education in Ireland, but research into the reasons behind this surge may temper such optimism. Increasing participation in Higher Level mathematics at Senior Cycle has been a key aim for Irish policymakers over the past 15 years. The Bonus Points Initiative (BPI) was introduced in 2012 with the aim of increasing the uptake of Higher mathematics and the long term goal of improving students' mathematical capabilities. Bonus points mean that students who opt to study Higher Level maths and who obtain a score greater than or equal to 40% in their Leaving Certificate examination are awarded an additional 25 'bonus' points. Based on the current CAO system, this means that a student who obtains 40% at Higher Level would receive more points (71) than a student who achieved 90-100% in the Ordinary Level paper (56). From RTÉ Brainstorm, have Leaving Cert maths' questions got harder or easier over 100 years? Maths is the only subject for which bonus points are available, thus giving the subject a special status in our education system. Despite assurances that bonus points would initially be rolled out on a four-year trial basis, it has now been in place for 12 years with no formal evaluation of the initiative conducted. As part of an independent research project, we have carried out several studies investigating the impact of bonus poinys on the profile of students in the Higher Level mathematics classroom; students' motivations to study Higher Level maths; teachers' perspectives on bonus points and the impact on students' performance in the subject. The findings from these studies will highlight some of the unintended consequences of attributing such a special status to mathematics. As mentioned at the outset, between 2011 and 2024 there has been a 130% (from 15.8% to 36.3%) increase in the proportion of students taking Leaving Cert maths at Higher Level. As such, bonus points have been successful in achieving its primary aim of increasing the number of students opting for higher maths. In 2019, we conducted a study with 911 Senior Cycle students who were taking Higher maths and asked them what factors motivated them to study the subject at this level. From a list of 19 factors, the two factors that most students selected were "I wanted to get bonus points" (91.2% in agreement) and "I will get good CAO points from it" (80.3%). These findings leave us in no doubt that the Bonus Point Initiative is driving the uptake of Higher Level matsh and Irish students are now primarily extrinsically motivated to study the subject at this level. However, research has also found that extrinsic motivational factors can lead to diminished intrinsic motivation among students. Therefore, the central role that the BPI is currently playing in motivating students to study higher maths may have longer term negative effects on students' affective reaction to the subject. The surge in the number of students opting for Higher Level maths and the motivation behind this has also led to a change in the profile of students taking the subject. A research study with 266 Senior Cycle HL maths teachers found that bonus points often resulted in students not suited to HL mathematics persevering with it. This large number of less able students has resulted in a much wider range of abilities than would have been the case prior to 2012. Many of these students are also less ambitious and have lower expectations of themselves, often aiming to just reach, rather than exceed, the score required to be awarded bonus points. These findings present teachers with a series of challenges to contend with, most notably in terms of catering for much higher levels of diversity in the mathematics classroom. It is therefore unsurprising that the majority of teachers in our study would like to see the BPI retained but adjusted (56%) or discontinued and not replaced (23%). From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, why do so many adults struggle with everyday maths? As well as having implications for teachers, the BPI may also be impacting the grades being awarded to students. Between 2008 and 2024, the profile of students studying HL maths has changed considerably. A figure which has remained consistent in this time is the combined proportion of students opting to complete their Leaving Certificate maths examinations at either HL or OL (ranging from 87.9% to 94.1%). Given that the maths capabilities of the combined HL and OL cohorts are unlikely to have varied too much from year to year, one would expect that the proportion of students achieving at the upper end of the HL grading spectrum would remain consistent. However, we found this was not the case. When comparing Leaving Cert maths'; results from 2008 to 2019, there is a 44% increase in the proportion of all HL and OL students achieving a score of 70% (H3 or above in current grading system) or better in the HL examination. When 2008 is compared to 2024, there is a 116% increase in this proportion. While some of this inflation can likely be attributed to the impact of the predicted grades policy in 2020 and 2021, this trend of grade inflation was already in evidence prior to 2020. Given teachers' concerns about the profile of students now opting for HL maths, it is highly unlikely that this increase can be attributed to a better calibre of student studying HL mathematics as a result of the BPI. Grade inflation of this nature can lead to a loss of confidence amongst stakeholders regarding the capacity for Leaving Certificate grades to provide valid and reliable information about students. This can lead to students being admitted to third-level courses for which they are not sufficiently mathematically prepared, an issue which has been highlighted in Ireland recently. Overall, these research studies offer the first comprehensive evaluation of the BPI. While it is clear that the primary objective of the BPI has been achieved, there have certainly been some unintended consequences. Assigning mathematics a special status has impacted on students' motivations for pursuing Higher Level maths. This has led to a need for different teaching practices in classrooms; and raised concerns about the competencies of students graduating from second level. If the bonus points initiative is to continue, these implications need to be considered to ensure we develop students with the required mathematical competencies to guarantee a knowledge economy. University of Limerick. She is the Deputy Director of EPI∙STEM, the national centre for STEM Education. Dr Páraic Treacy is a Lecturer in Mathematics in the School of Education at Mary Immaculate College, Thurles. Dr Mark Prendergast is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the School of Education at UCC. He is a Research Ireland awardee.
