A Leaving Certificate student has said she has to choose between her health and her education.
It comes as the Government confirmed that schools would remain closed for the rest of the month, due to the ongoing surge coronavirus cases.
However there are two exceptions: Leaving Cert students will attend classes three days a week, while special needs education will continue as normal.
Emma O'Keefe is a Leaving Cert student from Kinsale in Co Cork.
She told Newstalk Breakfast: "I think, to be honest, nearly all the Leaving Cert students in Ireland yesterday felt completely disappointed and frustrated".
"They feel that they're being put in a position to choose between their health, and their family's health and their education".
She said she would "absolutely" prefer not to be going into school three days a week.
"I know it's a lot more complicated for a lot more students - even like myself - to try get into school for three days a week, and then to attend two days remote learning.
"I know personally I have child-minding commitments at home, now that my mother's going into work and that my siblings are at home".
She said this is also an issue for a lot of other students, who have essential workers in their family.
On predicted grades, she said she would like the option to be there.
"I think the option definitely should be given at this stage.
"We're finding that we're not going to finish the curriculum in time, especially with project deadlines coming up on us.
"I think people definitely want the option to be there for them, because traditional exams cannot go ahead in a far from traditional year".
Education Minister Norma Foley has insisted the Government followed public health advice in its decision to keep Leaving Cert students in school.
"I think the appropriate thing was for the Chief Medical Officer and the public health experts to give their advice on what was the appropriate move to make and that was to reduce mobility," she told The Hard Shoulder on Wednesday.
"I think the appropriate decision then, in terms of how that would be done, was to be made by Cabinet and indeed by the Department of Education in terms of how we would move forward in terms of particular groups.
"The public health advice was given yesterday. It was received and acted upon by Cabinet and indeed by the Department of Education and I think that is right and I think that is proper."
Minister Foley added that all of the data and research available shows that schools are safe - and noted that up until the Christmas holidays 75% of Irish had no engagement with public health.
