Leaving Cert invigilators will carry out their duties via Zoom, The Department of Education has confirmed.
The announcement follows concerns expressed by teaching unions ASTI and TUI that their members would face “high Covid exposure” during three hour exam situations.
Students will be required to physically attend the exam hall and will be responsible for bringing their own laptops. They will also be expected to pay for individual Zoom Pro Licenses.
“The invigilator will set up 1:1 meeting invites with each individual student,” said a Department of Education spokesperson. “The exam paper will be posted in the chat function. Students will then have three hours to post their answers, also in the chat function.”
The spokesperson stressed that students would be marked down for text speak, emojis and typos.
Some schools have expressed concern at the lack of power points in their exam halls, fearing there may not be enough to go around.
“It’s the responsibility of each individual student to ensure their device is fully charged,” stated the spokesperson. “The Department will not be held responsible for any loss of power or technical malfunction. If they die, they die.”
Students have voiced opposition to the proposal, but no one in government gives a fig what they think.