The front pages
Results, results, results. The 58,000 Leaving Cert students have cried, laughed and partied after tallying their points yesterday and the front pages are mostly taken up by related stories. Here are the headlines:
‘Report calls for students loan scheme and return of college fees’ – reads the main headline of the Irish Times.
‘College revolt over bonus points plan’ – reads the Irish Independent.
‘Making the grade’- is the simple headline on the front of the Irish Examiner.
Two major universities, University College Cork (UCC) and the National University of Ireland Galway, have rejected Education Minister Mary Coughlan’s plans to introduce bonus points for higher level maths students.
Ms Coughlan had hoped that by 2012 we would see bonus points on offer for these particular students but that plan has now been scuppered slightly due to UCC and NUIG failing to give their backing.
Meanwhile, as the dust settled yesterday evening from the results release it emerged that only one student in the entire country achieved nine A1s. Killian Donovan, a former student of Gonzaga College, Dublin managed top marks in English, Irish, maths, applied maths, French, physics, chemistry, biology and Latin. What a haul.
The Times’ slant on things gives details on the Hunt Report which is soon to be considered by the Government. It recommends that students should “contribute to the cost of their education†by receiving a loan to pay college fees.
Tales from the tabs
Wyclef Jean has received death threats while aiming to become president of Haiti.
The former Fugees singer was told in a phone call to “get out off Haitiâ€, according to the Star report.
It is yet to be made clear whether or not Wyclef (pictured above centre) qualifies to run for the presidency as he was born in the Caribbean country and lives in America.
The sports pages
Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is likely to be staying put at Anfield, according to a report in the Sun.
Reds manager Roy Hodgson is prepared to let the Argentine star see out the remainder of his contract with the club and allow him to leave for nothing in two years.
“I’d be quite happy to work the two years with him. If he then wanted to walk away, then so be it,†Hodgson said.
“The nicest thing of all would be if he signed a new contract, it’s there for him. But nobody is putting him under any pressure,†he added.
It’s highly unlikely that Mascherano will accept Liverpool’s offer and may have another opportunity to leave in January, provided the likes of Inter Milan can stump up the required £30million transfer fee.
