TERAPROOF:User:fredkenneallyDate:15/08/2013Time:20:15:10Edition:16/08/2013ExaminerLiveXX-1608Page:7
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NEWS 7
Irish Examiner Friday 16.08.2013
50 Leaving Cert students’ grades withheld because of cheating by Audrey Ellard Walsh Fifty students have had their grades in various Leaving Cert subjects withheld because of evidence of cheating. The State Examinations Commission has revealed a further 25 results are being withheld without prejudice pending further investigation.
The subjects in which results have been withheld are History, Geography, French, Art, Physics, Biology, Business, Economics, Home Economics, Religious Education and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP) link modules. There are a number of ways in which cheating may be uncovered. An examiner may notice similar
work from more than one candidate when correcting papers from the same exam centre. Another way is if memos or notes which provided the student with an advantage are uncovered in papers during the marking process. If during an examination a student is caught using prohibited items such as books or mobile phones, or if the student attempts to
contact another candidate in the hall, the superintendent must submit a report of the incident to the State Examinations Commission. These regulations also apply to practical and project work where there is evidence of plagiarism or procuring work from others. Students have the opportunity to appeal their cases and are invited to
offer a response to the evidence presented — which may include superintendents’ reports, confiscated items and work prepared which shows evidence of collusion. School authorities are also free to comment on the matter. The number of withheld results is much in line with previous years: 45 students caught cheating had their
results withheld in 2012, with 48 grades held back in 2011. In most cases, the withholding of the result concerned is the only penalty applied. Where a more serious breach of regulations occurs such as copying in more than one subject, all results may be withheld and the student may be prevented from repeating the exam.
Gap widens as boys outperform girls at maths
■ Female students still do better at most subjects by Niall Murray Education Correspondent
Jerry Mulcahy and volunteer Ellen O’Reilly enjoy the waves during one of the Surf2Heal camps.
Pictures: Virginie Laveau
Camp-goers ride crest of a wave as progress seen in children with autism
by Claire O’Sullivan The benefits of water and surfing for children with autism are manifold. Water calms them; it also allows the sensation of deep pressure on their bodies — something which is proven to be therapeutic; it allows the children a chance to socialise; and most importantly, it’s plain old fun. “Kids with autism, they just don’t get to have enough fun,” says Nollaig Hayes, mother of 10-year-old Sean. The whole precarious act of trying to balance on a board is a form of occupational therapy for the left and right hand side of their brain while also developing their sense of body and place, as this can be problematic. “The children benefit so much from surfing. They just get the fun and the sense of calm from being in water, yet there is all this extra therapeutic work going on that they’re not aware of. There is such a need for more opportunities like this,” said Nollaig.
Finn Duffy with mum Sue, dad Liam, sister Niamh and volunteers Andrea Cotza and Lorna, see the multifaceted benefits of surfing. By this, she means Surf2Heal camps — an Irish network of camps inspired by Surfers Healing camps in the US. First set up five years ago in Garrettstown, West Cork, by herself and Jon and Alayne Hynes, who once owned GTown Surf School, they have now spread to Inchydoney in West Cork; Banna Beach in Kerry; Fanore in Co
Clare; and to Strandhill in Sligo. There are about 10 children at each surfing camp session with three to four volunteers going into the water with each child. “In the past few weeks, I’ve seen a kid, whose mum doesn’t like the water, race out of the water to hug her mum before running back in. It was just this big spontaneous hug from a little girl who had
never spontaneously shown affection like that before. It was incredible to see,” she said. “And then there was another boy who ran out of the water looking to give a high five to someone. He’d never done anything like this before.” The Inchydoney camp is run by staff from Co-Action and their clinical psychologist was out with the children last week. So impressed was he that he is now recommending to parents of children with autism that they should try and get their kids out with a board once a week. The last of this year’s camps — which count Cork-based Ernest J Cantillon Solicitors among their sponsors — has just drawn to a close in Co Kerry but Surf2Heal and organiser Virginie Laveau are looking for more volunteers for next year. With 3-4 volunteers needed per child, the camps are labour intensive. If you sign up to volunteer, Surf2Heal will provide training and you don’t need to be an ace surfer. The children never go out beyond thigh-high water. ● www.surf2heal.org
Sacked Ryanair pilot to seek legal advice in the C4 Dispatches programme which deliberately gave the impression that a long-standing Ryanair pilot claims that there are safety issues in Ryanair, when there are not”. The memo goes on to advise pilots not to “confuse industrial relations issues with safety”. It is understood that Ryanair also intends to sue Channel 4 and Dispatches for defamation. The broadcaster has said it will “robustly defend proceedings if they are initiated”. Mr Goss had been with the airline for about 26 years and was due to retire in October. He recently gave an interview to a Belgian newspaper about safety is-
by Conall Ó Fátharta The Ryanair pilot sacked just days after he took part in a Channel 4 programme criticising the airline is to “seek legal advice on his options”. In a memo issued on Wednesday by director of flight and ground operations, David O’Brien, all Ryanair pilots were informed that Captain John Goss had been “dismissed with immediate effect from Ryanair” for “gross misconduct”. It also stated that the airline had instructed its lawyers “to issue legal proceedings against Capt Goss for his malicious, defamatory and contrived statements
sues at the airline. Ryanair Pilots Group chairman Evert van Zwol, said Mr Goss’s dismissal showed the “hollowness” of Ryanair’s promise to legally protect pilots who took part in the Dispatches programme if they revealed their identities. “It is simply extraordinary that the immediate reaction of Ryanair to safety issues brought to their attention is to deny the existence of any problems and to effectively shoot the messenger. Safety experts are agreed that a sound safety culture is based on pilots having faith in a non-punitive approach and dealing directly and transparently with all concerns raised,” he said.
37% of our students attained over 500 points. 73% of our students attained over 400 points. 81% of our students attained over 350 points Our Repeat students improved by up to 165 points! Hewitt Honours Maths (Bonus Points) French Accounting Business Biology Home Economics Art Music
by Niall Murray Education Correspondent
John Goss: Raised safety concerns in documentary. Ryanair confirmed they had dismissed Mr Goss and claimed his contribution to the programme is contradicted by his previous confirmations to the airline that he has “no concerns” about Ryanair’s safety.
by Richie Taylor D Tobin
College
National Average
24% 38% 33% 34% 32% 16% 40% 36%
10% 13.2% 20% 10.8% 14.4% 8.4% 4.8% 14.1%
595 Claire Healy
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A y Molon00
585
Aoife Cummins
Hpat 2
“A” grades compared to National Average 2013
580
Niamh Dorney
575
Hannah Sands
575
57m0 Lia
rchan Mohamed Mu Elkanzi
Hpat 187
Compare our Honours “A” Grades
Hewitt House, 24 St. Patricks Hill, Cork Email: admin@hewittcollege.net Book now for Hpat course
Tel: (021) 4550430
www.hewittcollege.ie
19th -21st August
SUBJECT (higher level) Maths English Irish Biology Geography French Business Home Economics History Art Chemistry Construction Studies Agricultural Science German
colleges of 25 bonus CAO points for higher-level maths a year ago was most evident in increased entry requirements to courses under science, computing, and maths headings. One-third of the 1,300 courses filled through the CAO required fewer points in 2012 than a year earlier. It will be Monday before it becomes clear what effect, if any, the further rise in higher-level maths uptake has on points requirements for 2013 college entrants. The National Parents Council-Post Primary helpline (1800 265165) is open until 1pm today and will run next Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to allow students and parents put CAO and other queries to guidance counsellors. ● The Irish Examiner’s 16page Choices for College supplement on Monday will show cut-off points for all this year’s CAO courses, and how much each course is up or down since last year. It will also advise on all the issues affecting students who get a place in college and those still waiting on an offer.
GIRLS Number of Students 6,069 18,169 10,561 14,185 9,171 8,610 5,961 8,179
GIRLS % with As 7.1% 11% 17.1% 14.9% 10% 14.1% 12.3% 8.8%
GIRLS % with A, B or C 70.4% 79.1% 91.4% 71.4% 78% 76.9% 72.3% 80%
BOYS Number of Students 6,945 15,110 6,108 9,251 10,758 5,578 5,612 721
BOYS % with As 14.3% 8.2% 12.2% 13.8% 7.7% 11.8% 9.1% 3.4%
BOYS % with A, B or C 75.1% 72.7% 88.5% 67.1% 73% 71.4% 68.7% 59.5%
3,489 5,375 3,658 392
13.8% 5.8% 19.4% 7.4%
77.3% 79.7% 73.9% 78.4%
4,297 2,491 3,098 6,180
11.6% 2.6% 21.6% 7.2%
75.3% 64.7% 72.9% 79.1%
2,384
12.1%
73.1%
3,567
8.1%
67%
2,576
15.7%
78.1%
1,749
13.5%
73.1%
Private college unveils €5k ‘digs-for-fees’ initiative A private third-level college is giving students and their families a unique way to cover their fees by opening up their homes to international classmates. The digs-for-fees initiative by Griffith College Dublin will offset €5,000 — the average charge for an Irish undergraduate students — against a year’s tuition for anyone accommodating an overseas student at the college. Although a €1,000 fee will be charged if the visiting student stays for a 40-week term rather than a full-year, the college said
Celeb chef gets clever with students’ meals 6a0n0 iel
Boys have stretched their outperformance of girls at higher-level Leaving Certificate maths again but female students still do better at most other subjects. Last year, there was a significant bridging of the gap between the proportion of male and female students taking higher-level maths. In 2011, 17.2% of boys and 14.5% of girls opted for higher-level exams in the subject, but the introduction of bonus points saw those figures rise last year to 23% and 21%, respectively. A further rise in numbers moving up to higher-level Leaving Certificate maths — from 21% overall last year to 26% — has been attributed to the second year of the 25 additional CAO points for those passing the exam. The gender comparison shows that 27% of this year’s 25,817 male maths students took higher-level papers in June, compared to 24.2% of 25,039 females. This shows that there was a slightly bigger proportional increase in
male uptake of honours maths year-on-year, but the difference remains much less pronounced than it was up to 2012. A State Examinations Commission (SEC) breakdown of the grades shows 14% of male higher-level maths candidates got an A but just half that proportion of females did so. A year ago, the figures were 12% and 6.8%, respectively. In 2012, 83% of both boys and girls taking higher-level maths got an honours grade (A1 to B3) but 75% of males and 70% of females did so this year. Analysis of SEC data on 2013 Leaving Certificate results shows girls still do better in the majority of subjects. Among the 14 higher-level subjects with most entrants this year, the proportion of female students who got As was higher on all subjects except maths and chemistry. Apart from maths, boys only got more honours in construction studies out of the 14 subjects compared by the Irish Examiner. The impact of the widespread allocation by
Celebrity chef Derry Clarke is branching out — aiming his sights on college students who would usually make do with baked beans on toast and takeaways. The Clever Cuisine scheme is put together by the Michelin star chef and his meat supplier, Mark Bermingham of Market Butcher. From next month, the Clever Cuisine scheme will offer students their weekly college dinners for just €10. The company will provide packs of four easy-tocook meals made up of
fresh meat and vegetables, adamant that it will ensure a healthy balanced diet. Packs can be ordered from home and students can pick up their dinners every Monday at a designated time and place. The new Clever Cuisine for students has an added poignancy for Derry and Sallyanne, as their late son Andrew would have been going to college next year. The teenager died after Christmas 2012. He was found in the family garage and rushed to hospital, but died a few days later after he had slipped into a coma. ● Details are available on clevercuisine.ie.
it is still a helpful way for families to meet their higher education costs at a time when so many are struggling with bills. International students face average fees ranging from €4,000 to €10,000 for full-time courses up to degree level at Griffith’s three colleges in Dublin, Cork and Limerick, and will pay the college €5,000 if they opt for bed and board with a host family. The college said the amount is directly offset against the average full-time fee for Irish students and stressed it will not be making any money
from the arrangements. “The objective of the student exchange initiative is to offer more opportunity for Irish students by eliminating fees, while offering international students a unique living experience during their time in Ireland,” said Griffith College president Dermot Hegarty. Meanwhile, the Union of Students in Ireland yesterday fired a warning shot at the Government parties that they will face a strong backlash at next year’s local and European elections if October’s budget hits the pockets of students
and their families again. It is compiling a student electoral database aimed at rallying enough votes to be decisive in the outcomes, with plans to match each registered student with the TDs and other Fine Gael or Labour politicians in their constituencies for targeted campaigning. In its pre-budget submission, USI is calling for protection of student grants, the Back to Education Allowance, a fairer and more affordable postgraduate loan scheme and investment in the European Youth Guarantee.
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