Minister for Education Norma Foley hopes to provide a “substantial update” today on plans for this year’s Leaving Cert.
However, it now seems unlikely that the normal exam-based Junior Cert will take place.
Talks involving the minister, teaching unions and student representatives continued all day yesterday.
Sources at the Department of Education said it is hoped Minister Foley will be in a position to announce concrete plans.
President of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland Martin Marjoram has said that discussions will continue today and he expects a decision “in the near future” on this year’s Leaving Certificate.
He also said it has been decided on balance that the Junior Certificate examination cannot run this year or run at same time as Leaving Certificate.
The TUI has called for school-based assessments for Junior Certificate to allow students to move on and pick their Leaving Certificate students, he added.
He said that TUI teachers are keen to return to school when safe to do so and it agrees with the logic of a phased return with Leaving Certificate students prioritised after special education.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said every effort was being made to provide clarity to the more than 60,000 students due to sit the exam.
Mr Varadkar told RTE’s Primetime that no decision had been made on the Junior Cert, but ruled out holding both exams alongside each other in June.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland is calling on Minister Foley to clarify definitively the arrangements that will apply to the Junior Cert.