It is a time for cool heads. Yes, there will be students who are disappointed with their results. Yes, there will be those who will worry that an opportunity has slipped from their grasp. For the student receiving results today there have never been so many options. We are now in an era of mass higher education.
Third level is no longer solely the preserve of the privileged few.
There are about 116,000 students enrolled at thirdlevel colleges today, compared to just 21,000 students in 1965. In that year 12,000 students sat the Leaving Cert, compared to almost 60,000 today. The Leaving Certificate remains at the epicentre of the Irish educational experience. There is a great deal wrong with the Leaving Cert in its present form. Its tends to reward memory rather than creative thinking and practical experience.