Copyright irishexaminer
The classroom reality is stark. Every student with a smartphone has access to AI. These tools are full of bias, hallucination, misinformation, and error. Yet most students lack the critical literacy to identify these flaws. They cannot distinguish between content that sounds authoritative and content that is actually accurate. Those using premium versions have significantly more advanced features than those relying on free tools, creating an equity issue the guidance does not address. How do teachers assess fairly? On both of these key aspects, the document falls very short. All teachers, especially those with project components in their subjects, were hoping for clarity on how AI use by students would be treated in assessment. That would have seemed a natural inclusion. Instead, we are told that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will publish a consolidated document on coursework completion “shortly”. Teachers can be forgiven for asking: What does “shortly” actually mean? Could these not have been available at the start of the school year? The guidance asks educators to consider the following key questions: “How would AI literacy be promoted in teaching and learning?” and “How can I help students understand the limitations of AI tools?” But it offers no frameworks, no strategies, no practical guidance. It also fails to remove the second-guessing that will accompany any decision regarding the extent to which a student can or cannot use AI. The document describes itself as “Version 1”. I sincerely hope Version 2 addresses these fundamental gaps. Our students are using these tools today. For many Leaving Certificate subjects, project work has already begun. We cannot afford to wait another 18 months for answers to the questions that define our daily teaching reality. Patrick Hickey History and English teacher Mallow, Cork Tobacco firm has not ‘duped’ people An opinion piece in the Life & Style section by Richard Hogan criticised BAT for selling Vuse vapes and claimed that we have “duped” people ( ‘Richard Hogan: Vaping is not a healthy alternative to smoking — full stop’, Irish Examiner, October 22). We list all our brands on our website, it’s on the packaging, and we regularly talk about the role smokeless products, like vaping, play in helping us transform our business. Far from pulling the wool over people’s eyes, it’s our publicly-stated ambition to become a predominantly smokeless business by 2035 and ultimately make cigarettes a thing of the past. Mr Hogan claims that companies such as BAT have targeted teenagers. This is incorrect and cynical — BAT Ireland campaigned for the under-18s ban for several years prior to its introduction in December 2023. As part of our ‘Verify’ programme, we collaborate with over 3,000 retailers throughout Ireland to prevent youth access to nicotine products, providing training to ensure staff can properly identify individuals under 18 through correct ID verification. Where we do agree with Mr Hogan is on enforcement. We waited nine years for the under-18 ban to be introduced, and now we’d like to see it properly enforced. The incoming retail license will help clean up the market, but it too will only be effective if enforcement is vigorous. We also agree with the need to remove flavours and packaging that appeal to youth from the market. We continue to call for a ban on confectionary-, dessert-, and soft drink-flavoured vapes. The assertion that companies such as BAT are claiming that vapes are “harmless” is also misleading. We are explicit in noting that vapes are not harmless, but they are 95% less harmful than cigarettes, as repeatedly highlighted by the Royal College of Physicians. Vapes are critical in helping thousands of smokers move away from cigarettes. In Ireland alone, 160,000 people have switched with the help of vapes. Mr Hogan should be cautious to tar products such as vapes with the same feathers as cigarettes, particularly when they help thousands of people in Ireland to change their lives for the better, and we are open and ready to have a conversation about how vapes can help Ireland become smoke free. Yours, etc. David Melinn Country Manager Ireland, BAT Ireland(PJ Carroll & Company)
