IT WAS a great day last Wednesday for thousands of teenagers across the country as the Leaving Certificate results were handed out (and, of course, made available online in keeping with modern times).
Most adults will agree that this exam represents one of the most stressful times of their lives. Indeed, many still report having Leaving Cert anxiety dreams decades after finishing their secondary school education.
For those of you who achieved the results you wanted, we wish you every success with your chosen third level course or career path. For those who were disappointed last week, don’t despair – there is always the option of repeating the exams or taking part in other types of courses.
As the race for college places begins in earnest, the financial reality of third level costs will hit home for many parents. One report last week put the cost of putting a child through college at e1,000 per month if they are living away from home.
Can you imagine the impact this has on families where there is more than one child going to college?
There is also concern that many students may drop out of third level education due to money worries. This is a tragedy and a genuine waste of our talented young people – the same young people who are the business leaders and innovators of tomorrow.
Middleclass families have been given a kicking by this Government over the course of recent austerity budgets and we’ve every reason to fear that there’s more of the same to come in October. With water charges on the way and property tax now a reality, there is nothing more to give.
The onus is on this Government to protect the families of third level students in the next budget. There’s no point in our politicians bragging about our highly educated workforce if they’re going to pull the rug from under college students.
Unlike the billions that have gone into bailing out some of our bust and disreputable financial institutions, money invested in education still represents money well spent.
But will Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn be batting for all last week’s Leaving Cert recipients when he sits with his colleagues around the Cabinet table? We can only hope so.