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Concern over appointment of State exam correctors without teaching qualifications

Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations will be corrected by people without teaching qualific...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.51 22 Jun 2018


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Concern over appointment of St...

Concern over appointment of State exam correctors without teaching qualifications

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.51 22 Jun 2018


Share this article


Junior and Leaving Certificate examinations will be corrected by people without teaching qualifications due to a shortage of staff.

Teachers groups have voiced their anger at the plans, and raised concerns over the standards of the marking.

The Irish Times reports that pay rates are being blamed for the lack of interest in the positions - with correctors offered between €5 and €32 per paper.

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Teachers have described the pay rates as “blood money” due to the high taxes they face on additional income.

Deputy General Secretary of the ASTI, Diarmaid de Paor, is critical but not surprised:

“I don’t think anybody would say that it was a good move,” he said.

“I don’t think the State Examinations Commission (SEC) would say that it was a good move.

“I think they would say it was a move that they felt themselves compelled to do and I think it is a very worrying development.

“But also I think it is not a surprising development and we have been pointing out that examiners are overworked and underpaid.”

The SEC has insisted that everyone it has hired to correct papers holds a third-level qualification in the subject area they are marking.

It said non-teachers are only hired if vacancies remain after “all suitable and fully qualified applicants have been offered appointment.”


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