Think of the Students. It's real life, not just a timetable
PRESS STATEMENT 13/06/12Irish Second-Level Students' Union*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***
State Examinations 2012
Irish Second-Level Students’ Union
PRESS STATEMENT *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 05/06/12*
On the eve of the first day of the 2012 state examinations, thousands of Junior and Leaving Cert students across the country are thinking anxiously about their impending exams and trying to get as much last minute study done as possible.The State Exams are an extremely stressful time for students and the run up to these exams is often a time when students depend on Guidance Counsellors in schools most. For Leaving Certificate students especially, Guidance Counsellors provide an essential support as students are also faced with the stresses of deciding what path to follow when they leave school. Therefore, the Irish Second-level Students’ Union calls on the Department of Education and Skills to ensure that there will be no further threats to the provision of Guidance Counselling services in schools. A student’s mental health and well being is as important as the provision of education in schools and should not be allowed to suffer.The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union will be keeping an online blog (www.issu.ie) during the state examinations with daily contributions from Junior Cert, Leaving Cert Applied and Leaving Cert students from across the country as well as official commentary on each paper from the ISSU.Top tips on exam best practices as well as how to keep stress levels to a minimum can also be found on www.issu.ieOn behalf of all the ISSU team, we would like to wish all students beginning the state examinations tomorrow, the very best of luck. ***ENDS***Notes to Editor:ISSU is the national umbrella body for school Student Councils, aiming to represent and connect Irish second-level students the length and breadth of the country, ensuring that the voice of the Irish second-level student is heard and striving for innovation and democracy within the education system. ISSU is a not-for profit student rights organisation.At ISSU we believe that young people are not merely citizens in waiting - we deserve better, we deserve to be heard. We can and will contribute positively to society. It is so important that our voices, views and opinions are (i) heard (ii) listened to (iii) and most importantly respected. This is what ISSU is all about. We’re here for you.Our main aims include:
- To provide training and development of second-level school Student Councils, in conjunction with relevant bodies.
- To develop policies on issues affecting Irish second-level students and bring the needs and rights of students to the attention of the relevant authorities.
- To provide a transparent, democratic and reliable organisation.
- To work in collaboration with other educational institutions and bodies both in Ireland and Europe.
- To work closely with educational curriculum policy makers and teachers’ unions to continually develop a transparent, fair and modern education system.
- And most importantly, to give students a structured platform through which the voice of the Irish second-level student will be heard.
ISSU represents students at a national level and is affiliated to; the WHEEL, NYCI, Anna Lindh Foundation, Stand up for Education Alliance, Children’s Mental Health Coalition and the Children’s Rights Alliance. On an international level, ISSU works closely with OBESSU. ISSU also works with curriculum development teams and various advisory bodies.Contact:www.issu.ie, email info@issu.ie or call 01 443 4461.
ISSU.ie State Exams Blog 2012
We'll be launching our 2012 Exam blog soon providing news, reviews, comment and analysis after every exam this Summer. The ultimate student review of each exam paper. The students who sit the paper are best placed to provide feedback on their exams.Coverage will begin on Tuesday June 5th 2012 @ 1pm with students' thoughts on the eve of the first exam. We'll be delving into every exam for Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied, and student feedback will be posted on issu.ie at 6.30pm every evening for the duration of the examinations.Separately, the ISSU President, Education Officer Public Relations will coordinate media coverage of the state examinations also.We're still recruiting our bloggers, so if you're up for the job email studentvoice@issu.ie or call 01-443 4461.June 2012, the only best place for student reaction and feedback on the exams www.issu.ie 
As we say, “curtains” to another year of second-level State Examinations
Irish Second-Level Students’ UnionPRESS STATEMENT
As we say, “curtains” to another year of second-level State Examinations
As 5pm today (Friday) approached, the curtain fell on the last State Exam of 2010. It’s been an interesting year for the exams, blunders and mistakes have to be the distinctive theme for 2010. As well that, media focus on state examination grade inflation and claims that the system is being “dumbed down” in recent times seems to have caused the State Examinations Commission to use the 2010 state examinations as a trump card to dispel these rumours. Barely a trace of the usual predictability was to be seen on this year’s papers with the absence of predicted topics breaking what were decade-long patterns in some cases. While the ISSU firmly believes that a state examination system that is not based on predictability and rote-learning should exist, it was not fair on the students of 2010 to suddenly break away from age-old patterns that students that have gone before them have reaped the benefits of on many a results day. However, the real question is whether the State Examinations Commission, safe in the knowledge that it has dismissed any notions of predictability with this year’s papers, will resort back to patterns and predictable ways in the future?It seems that now more than ever – a complete revamp of the whole examination system is needed. To perform at your optimum ability for 300 minutes so as to be examined on two years of work is unrealistic, unfair and stressful. It appears that the greatest irony of the Leaving Certificate is that you complain about it whilst doing it (when you’re young) – but once finished, it’s a distant nightmare and you make best attempts to suppress the memories of those sunny exam days. Surely there is a better way?The ISSU urges the Department of Education and Skills to act on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s recommendations for Junior Cycle review as soon as they are made available. The ISSU also calls on the Minister for Education and Skills to reconsider the review of the Leaving Certificate which was recently shelved due to its estimated cost of €100 million. This year has highlighted, yet again, the need for a more adaptive and student friendly form of final examination. The LC has its benefits but does it prepare you for life? Hardly! Does it prepare you for further education? The answer is no.__ENDS__Notes to Editor:ISSU is the national umbrella body for school Student Councils, aiming to represent and connect Irish second-level students the length and breadth of the country, ensuring that the voice of the Irish second-level student is heard and striving for innovation and democracy within the education system. ISSU is a not-for profit student rights organisation.At ISSU we believe that young people are not merely citizens in waiting - we deserve better, we deserve to be heard. We can and will contribute positively to society. It is so important that our voices, views and opinions are (i) heard (ii) listened to (iii) and most importantly respected. This is what ISSU is all about. We’re here for you.Our main aims include:
- To provide training and development of second-level school Student Councils, in conjunction with relevant bodies.
- To develop policies on issues affecting Irish second-level students and bring the needs and rights of students to the attention of the relevant authorities.
- To provide a transparent, democratic and reliable organisation.
- To work in collaboration with other educational institutions and bodies both in Ireland and Europe.
- To work closely with educational curriculum policy makers and teachers’ unions to continually develop a transparent, fair and modern education system.
- And most importantly, to give students a structured platform through which the voice of the Irish second-level student will be heard.
ISSU represents students at a national level and is affiliated to; Anna Lindh Foundation, Children’s Mental Health Coalition, Children’s Rights Alliance, NYCI, Stand up for Education Alliance, and the WHEEL. On an international level, ISSU works closely with OBESSU. ISSU also works with curriculum development teams and various advisory bodies. Contact:www.issu.ie, email communications@issu.ie or call 01 443 4461.
ISSU Condemns Cheating During State Examinations
Irish Second-Level Students’ UnionPRESS STATEMENT *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
Cheating during State Examinations 15/06/’10
The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union welcomes the investigation being conducted by the State Examinations Commission into cheating by candidates during the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams.Incidents of this nature undermine the credibility of our education system on a national and international level and so the ISSU calls on students to report any efforts at cheating that are brought to their attention during the exams, as it is the credibility of their educational qualifications that are at stake. The ISSU urges students not to stay silent for fear of being labelled a “snitch” as incidences can be reported in confidence to the relevant authorities. The ISSU also calls on the State Examinations to ensure that superintendents implement stricter regulations and checks to ensure that attempts to cheat during exams do not go undetected as unless more rigorous measures are enforced, attempts at cheating will escalate in future years and confidence in the Irish exam system will be gravely undermined.__ENDS__Notes to Editor:ISSU is the national umbrella body for school Student Councils, aiming to represent and connect Irish second-level students the length and breadth of the country, ensuring that the voice of the Irish second-level student is heard and striving for innovation and democracy within the education system. ISSU is a not-for profit student rights organisation.At ISSU we believe that young people are not merely citizens in waiting - we deserve better, we deserve to be heard. We can and will contribute positively to society. It is so important that our voices, views and opinions are (i) heard (ii) listened to (iii) and most importantly respected. This is what ISSU is all about. We’re here for you.Our main aims include:
- To provide training and development of second-level school Student Councils, in conjunction with relevant bodies.
- To develop policies on issues affecting Irish second-level students and bring the needs and rights of students to the attention of the relevant authorities.
- To provide a transparent, democratic and reliable organisation.
- To work in collaboration with other educational institutions and bodies both in Ireland and Europe.
- To work closely with educational curriculum policy makers and teachers’ unions to continually develop a transparent, fair and modern education system.
- And most importantly, to give students a structured platform through which the voice of the Irish second-level student will be heard.
ISSU represents students at a national level and is affiliated to; the WHEEL, NYCI, Anna Lindh Foundation, Stand up for Education Alliance, Children’s Mental Health Coalition and the Children’s Rights Alliance. On an international level, ISSU works closely with OBESSU. ISSU also works with curriculum development teams and various advisory bodies.Contact:www.issu.ie, email info@issu.ie or call 01 443 4461.
State Examinations 2010
Irish Second-Level Students’ UnionPRESS STATEMENT *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
State Examinations 2010 08/06/10
On the eve of the first day of the 2010 state examinations, thousands of Junior and Leaving Cert students across the country are sitting down trying to get as much last minute study done as possible – hurriedly cramming as many home economics facts and paragraphs of prepared English essays off by heart in the hope that they will be able to adapt these essays to suit the questions on tomorrow’s English papers.The sad reality is that in forty-eight or even twenty-four hours time, much of this information will be gone from their memories forever, replaced with quotes for Leaving Cert English Paper two, Junior Cert Irish essays and quotes, mathematical proofs and geographical facts which in turn will be forgotten by the weekend when it comes to cramming for next week’s exams. The current Irish second-level examinations system encourages rote-learning to such an extent that it is detrimental to our students, affecting their ability to adapt at third-level.The ISSU welcomes the current review of the Junior Cycle being undertaken by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment but urges the Department of Education and Skills to act on the NCCA’s recommendations as soon as they are made available. The ISSU also calls on the Minister for Education and Skills to reconsider the review of the Leaving Certificate which was recently shelved due to its estimated cost of €100 million. Let’s face facts; the Leaving Certificate doesn’t adequately prepare students for third-level or life outside of education so although the initial cost of an overhaul may seem high, the eventual benefits to our students and to the ‘knowledge-economy’ that the government so often states that it strives for will far out-weigh the initial cost. We need to encourage more creative and dynamic learning at second-level, the ability to rote-learn a paragraph isn’t a fundamental life-skill.The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union will be keeping an online blog during the state examinations with daily contributions from Junior Cert, Leaving Cert Applied and Leaving Cert students from across the country as well as official commentary on each paper from the ISSU.Top tips on exam best practices as well as how to keep stress levels to a minimum can also be found on www.issu.ieOn behalf of all the ISSU team, we would like to wish all students beginning the state examinations tomorrow, the very best of luck.__ENDS__Notes to Editor:ISSU is the national umbrella body for school Student Councils, aiming to represent and connect Irish second-level students the length and breadth of the country, ensuring that the voice of the Irish second-level student is heard and striving for innovation and democracy within the education system. ISSU is a not-for profit student rights organisation.At ISSU we believe that young people are not merely citizens in waiting - we deserve better, we deserve to be heard. We can and will contribute positively to society. It is so important that our voices, views and opinions are (i) heard (ii) listened to (iii) and most importantly respected. This is what ISSU is all about. We’re here for you.Our main aims include:
- To provide training and development of second-level school Student Councils, in conjunction with relevant bodies.
- To develop policies on issues affecting Irish second-level students and bring the needs and rights of students to the attention of the relevant authorities.
- To provide a transparent, democratic and reliable organisation.
- To work in collaboration with other educational institutions and bodies both in Ireland and Europe.
- To work closely with educational curriculum policy makers and teachers’ unions to continually develop a transparent, fair and modern education system.
- And most importantly, to give students a structured platform through which the voice of the Irish second-level student will be heard.
ISSU represents students at a national level and is affiliated to; the WHEEL, NYCI, Anna Lindh Foundation, Stand up for Education Alliance, Children’s Mental Health Coalition and the Children’s Rights Alliance. On an international level, ISSU works closely with OBESSU. ISSU also works with curriculum development teams and various advisory bodies. Contact:www.issu.ie, email info@issu.ie or call 01 443 4461.