A home-schooled Leaving Cert student says it's "disgraceful" his case on calculated grading had to go to court.
Yesterday, the High Court ruled that the exclusion of students who are schooled by a parent at home from this year's process is arbitrary, unfair and unreasonable.
It said an independent teacher should be appointed to award 18-year-old Elijah Burke - who was taught by his mother - estimated marks in all of his subjects.
Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, Mr Burke said he's 'delighted' and 'overjoyed' with the result of his case.
The teenager said: "I'm happy I can put it behind me now, and hopefully I'll be able to move on to university in September... and not have to wait for another year.
"I'm planning on doing biomedical science, or history with music in NUIG."
He said he was confident he would win his case, and believed in it "from the very beginning".
However, he suggested it was "disgraceful" that it had to involve legal action.
He explained: "We never really intended to go as far - we always wanted to settle it with the Department of Education.
"There was an option out there to sit the exams in November... it was just a proposal.
"I take issue with that, because maybe the exams might be postponed until January next year or June next year.
"Also, sitting the exams in November would mean I'd be delayed a year in starting my third-level course."
Home education 'is a right'
Elijah's mother Martina is a qualified teacher who has taught all 10 of her children at home.
She also said it shouldn't have been necessary for the court to have had to hear the case.
She explained: "We have a right to home educate - it's not something we just did off the bat, and wasn't right to do. It's a right that's enshrined there in the Constitution.
"It seemed if I was teaching my son inside the school gate, everything would be fine - because I'd be considered professional. Because it was in the home - which is my right - that wasn't even considered."
She said home-schooling has become more popular, even if it was "practically unknown" when she started teaching her own children almost 30 years ago.
She observed: "I think things have changed now, and a lot more people are taking that option... even if it's full-time, or just for a year or two years.
"We're all a little bit of suspicious of something new, and something that hasn't been tested or tried.
"I made the decision to be at home, and then I could teach. So I took it one day at a time with my first child. If it was a disaster you certainly would be doing something different, but it worked very well."
Martina said all ten of her children have "excelled" academically.
She said that home-schooling is something that's "exciting" for children - suggesting they learn to love the likes of reading and conducting science experiments.
