Colm O'Regan: I'd like to bring some mini-subjects to the Leaving Cert — how about Cop On and Driver Etiquette?
The Leaving Cert timetable is one of those understated design classics. A tall page with the department logo on the top of it. LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION in bold, along with the small print, in stern Times New Roman.
Give or take a few subjects, the pattern is the same. Familiar subjects at the start, mad wans at the end.
I still look at it and see where the gaps are and think about where I might get some last-minute stuff done. Exam experts will say not to rely on last-minute cramming but I find in the cold sweat of panic, I get a certain clarity that was lacking in the previous six years.
Some legends have no gaps. They've picked their subjects to be done within a week. They're in Santa Ponsa on the first Tuesday evening while everyone else is opening their classical studies book for the first time.
They did Home Ec, Engineering, Biology, and Geography. These are the kind of people who like intensity and variety and being finished in a record time. They're probably doing Hyrox.
I was in the middle — a 10-day basic bitch. I look down through the mad wans that I never did. The mysterious 'third week' subjects, out into the June 20s. In my day there were rumours about ones that were handy for the points.
Apparently, Agricultural Economics or Classical Studies that you could pretty much start the course after your second last exam and still fly it. Someone's brother did it and apparently got an A.
This year, the final exam is on Tuesday, June 24. While all their friends are out earning and driving lorries, spare a thought for those doing Japanese, Politics and Society, Religious Education, or Applied Mathematics.
I know there have to be clashes but what if you wanted to do all of these? It's like they are trying to prevent people from becoming podcast hosts.
Into this crowded mix I'd like to bring some mini-subjects. Little halflings that give a lot of bang for their buck. One-hour exams, two subjects for the points of one.
How about: Cop On as a subject? This is not a slight on young people. It's more a reflection on the luadramans you meet later in life and wonder: Could they have done with a course in Cop On at a crucial moment?
There would be modules on driver etiquette, how not to drive up my hole, acknowledging when someone lets you out. Indicators.
Also, developing much-needed skills like: Is this news story you're about to share in the family WhatsApp actually real, or are you just doing Putin's job for him for free?
Another half subject could be on nostalgia. The generation gap needs to be closed. Not for the sake of the kids but for us. The nostalgia generation who spend ages just remembering things and asking others if they also recall them.
They say the Leaving Cert has to prepare you for life. Well, one of the things you'll be doing in life is working with older colleagues.
You will be a much better colleague if you haven't insulted the Gen Xer next to you by not knowing what a landline is.
Modules could include hitchhiking, taping off the radio, missing programmes, and how to plug in dial-up. Education is about society, let's bring us closer together.
How about an extra history module on scandals? We get so fatigued by all the chicanery, we forget all the various scandals.
Students study history, and they might specialise in a particular area but need to learn from the troubles of the past and break the cycle of bicycle sheds, voting machines, and robot trees.
Whatever your choices, best of luck to all!
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Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Irish Examiner
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'Sometimes I find myself cutting all the fabric shapes out on the floor here — you can still see the marks from the knife — and then I may fall asleep on the ground. 'My children then, who wake up will come in and see me asleep on the floor with no pillow, no blanket, and then give out to me saying: 'You should not be working that late.' ' Renuka's home is a small two-bedroom house with a red-clay floor. Her living room also acts as a kitchen, and her sewing machine sits right next to the front door, in front of the kitchen sink. 'My dream is to send my children abroad, to make sure that they don't suffer as I do here in Sri Lanka,' she said. I will struggle, and I will do as much as I can. I will try to bring as much money home so that when they finish school and then get a degree, they will not struggle the way that I do now. 'At some point in my life I would also like to open up a shop selling sports kits. That has always been my dream, for the past 25 years.' Renuka said she has always been sewing since before her children were born. 'When I was heavily pregnant with my son, 18 years ago, I was sewing all the orders which would fit into gallon bags, and carrying them by myself to the shops to give it to them. 'They would wonder, 'how are you carrying these all by yourself,' and I would say: 'It's all OK, I can do this.' 'I really struggled for the past few years. Things were really difficult, I would go seeking help, any kind of support that I could get, crying because I needed to support my two children and make sure that they get through their education.' Disabled sisters run their own business Sumeda, 37, and her sisters, Kamani and Kumudu, set up a small business selling bags to tourist companies and tourist shops across the country. 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My other sister Kamani adds the zips and handles to it. 'We all do different things, but we do this together.' Sumeda hopes that one day their business will take off and allow them to eventually purchase a wheelchair-accessible van. The sisters smiled as they spoke to the Irish Examiner about their passion for creating. They moved to Godagama after leaving the home for disabled people in Rajagiriya. 'One day, we hope that we can live well enough and not worry about anything else,' Sumeda said. Latha: 'I love what I am doing' Meanwhile, in Kolonnawa near the Kelaniya river, Latha, 42, works hard every day designing handbags, backpacks, and travel bags for eager customers who place orders of between 100-300 items. Latha tells Imasha Costa she makes 100,000 rupees (€281) a month from her business designing handbags, backpacks, and travel bags. But 'after paying our food, our bills, and my daughters' education fees, their school travel fees, nothing is left over.' Originally from Matale in the Central Province north of Kandy, Latha says she makes 100,000 rupees (€281) a month from her business. 'After paying our food, our bills, and my daughters' education fees, their school travel fees, nothing is left over,' the mother of three said. 'I love what I am doing. I wake up at 5am every morning, get everything in the house done before I start working. And some nights I do not finish until 1am or 2am, and then I am up again. It's constant. 'My husband helps me transport the items wherever they need to go, like to the Petta markets, the fairs across different areas, and even up north to Jaffna. It is a great help.' Latha said that when she first started out, when she wanted to get into the business at first, she was told she needed over 500,000 rupees (€1,407) as a downpayment. 'I sold two of my gold bangles for 260,000 rupees [€732], and pawned my sister's two bangles for a similar amount,' she said. 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However, Mr Niswi raised concerns about Donald Trump's freezing of US aid, which the organisation and many others across the country benefited from. Since 1956, the US has provided over $2bn (€1.69bn) in development assistance to the country. After it was frozen in March this year, we had to stop three projects and terminate contracts of 22 staff members. "Talented, very talented, staff who we could not fund anymore,' he said. 'Some 18% to 20% of projects within our organisation were funded by USAid. Now we have been informed that it may take more than three years before we see anything come our way. Latha works from home in Kolonnawa, Sri Lanka, designing and making handbags, backpacks, and travel bags and she now employs another woman. 'These women that we support need continuous progress. 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Irish Daily Mirror
24-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Education Minister defends length of school summer holidays in Ireland
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