Minister Weir replies to the SSUNI

On the 3rd of December, our President Cormac Savage wrote to Minister Weir on behalf of the SSUNI, making clear the views of the SSUNI, and young people across NI - cancel exams.

In the letter, he wrote;

“[…]

We have called, alongside the Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner, for a cancellation of usual public exams in Northern Ireland this year, and while we still wholeheartedly believe that this would be the most equitable and least anxiety-inducing system for our students, given today’s announcement from Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, we believe there is now an impetus on your department to announce similar measures for our students to ensure portability and parity.

[…]

Furthermore, we are calling on you to consider fully the disruption of this academic year and to seriously evaluate the merits of cancelling exams in their normal form. In our view, this remains the only truly equitable system, Our students’ mental health must come first.”

Cormac went on to request, for the second time, a meeting with Minister Weir.

Six weeks after the letter was sent, the SSUNI have received a reply from Minister Weir, stating that he is “unable to meet with [Cormac] and the SSUNI to discuss 2021 exam arrangements at this time.”

The SSUNI are extremely disappointed by this response, and the Minister’s unavailability to meet with the NISE twice now. We are also disappointed at the Minister’s refusal to have a joint meeting with himself, the NISE, and the Education Committee, proposed to him by Karen Mullan, and we hope that Minister Weir will listen to the voice’s of young people, as it is our future he is planning, and yet refuses to consult with us.