This is a subscriber-only article
Students who were due to finish their Green Certificates on time for the 2020 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) deadline will still be able to apply for the Young Farmer Scheme and National Reserve, Teagasc has said.
The Department has modified the Confirmation of Education Record for young farmers to allow flexibility where courses are scheduled to be completed by May 15 but will likely extend beyond that due to COVID-19.
Teagasc’s head of education Tony Pettit told the Irish Farmers Journal: “This takes the immediate pressure off the 15 May deadline. The modified form is now live on BPS application site.”
He said Teagasc courses are not indefinitely postponed. For most of the full-time level five and level six courses, students are currently on farm placement and this is continuing. Normally the full-time students would not graduate until the autumn. It is mostly the part-time and distance learning students who would be finishing by May.
Online
Teagasc is planning to deliver some classes online where possible.
“Most of our students are on farm placement and this is continuing - other than situations where the student or hosts wish to pause a placement because of COVID-19,” said Pettit. “It is intended that full-time courses will continue at a level through online activities. We will be taking similar approaches for adult Green Cert courses taking account that these are part-time based, or distance education.”
Teagasc says there are limitations to progressing courses at their normal rate and carrying out assessments, such as practical skills, in a COVID context.
Online learning
On Thursday 26 March, the Assistant Principal of Kildalton Agricultural College outlined how online learning would work for current students.
SHARING OPTIONS: