Two errors discovered in Republic's Leaving Cert calculated grades system

by Cate McCurry, PA

The Department of Education has discovered two errors in the Leaving Cert calculated grades system, the Dail has heard.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that a number of students’ results will be upgraded because of error.

Mr Martin told the Dail that it was a technical issue that caused the errors, one of which was discovered last week.

Minister for Education Norma Foley is expected to make a “comprehensive” statement on Wednesday.

The statement will cover what happened and the measures the department will take to rectify the issues, the Dail was told.

Mr Martin said: “It is very worrying and upsetting for the students concerned.

“The mechanisms and portals will be in place to enable individual students to get access to their new grades, as a result of the results being upgraded.”

He said that additional places may be created for students who now qualify for courses, but added it still needs to be worked out.

The errors have been described as a “gigantic cock-up”.

Labour’s Alan Kelly said the mistake was “extraordinary”.

“These students have gone through absolute hell and this has just put the cherry on top,” he said.

“I don’t know what we are going to do, but what is going to be announced this evening, there would need to be an extraordinary response.

“We can’t penalise students who have already been offered places.

“We have situations where parents are paying for accommodation for students who may never need it now and could be going to other colleges.

“The ramifications for this across the country are humongous.

“How did a department not see this? Was it because it was outsourced to this company and there was no checks on it?”

Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Richard Before said: “The Leaving Cert of 2020 have suffered unacceptably from a series of mess-ups and it is really quite unconscionable that yet again now they are going to suffer as a consequence of a gigantic cock-up.

“After all they have gone through and suffered we now have this situation of uncertainty which could have very severe implications for those already in third-level courses.”

Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald said: “This really is the icing on the cake. The final cock-up for the class of 2020.

“I am very, very concerned at the fact you had this information from last week.

“This information was clearly kept from members of the opposition. The Minister for Education didn’t brief to anyone or indicate there was a difficulty.”