GCSE and A-Level exams in Northern Ireland cancelled - Peter Weir
All scheduled GCSE and A-level examinations in Northern Ireland will be cancelled, Peter Weir has confirmed.
The Stormont Education Minister said work is under way on alternative awarding arrangements.
Mr Weir said all mainstream education providers will be asked to provide remote learning until the half-term break in the middle of February.
Special schools are to remain open as usual, while vulnerable youngsters and the children of key workers will have access to schools for supervised learning.
Mr Weir also announced that provision in lieu of free school meals will be made, while childcare settings will remain open.
The minister told the Assembly the decisions were "not taken lightly".
"We must have regard to the prevailing public health situation, and the need to reduce overall community contacts," he said.
"I will return schools to face-to-face learning as soon as the public health situation prevails."
Robert Wilson, regional officer of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Northern Ireland, said it has become apparent that, as the public health situation has changed and another period of remote learning was embarked upon, further disruption to exams and assessment was inevitable.
"ASCL will work with the Department of Education and CCEA to inform thinking as to the best way forward.
"It is essential that there is public confidence in the system which replaces exams and that we all pull together to achieve that end.
"In the middle of all of this are young people.
"They need grades which reflect their efforts fairly and consistently, and which enable them to progress to the next stage in their lives."
Schooling has dominated the debate over Northern Ireland's tighter new measures.
January's tests for pupils seeking to transfer from primary to grammars were cancelled on Tuesday but hours later a date was set in February.
Other new restrictions to combat the pandemic have been agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Stay-at-home advice is to be put into legislation from midnight on Thursday, with additional powers being given to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to enforce the measures.
Household mixing will be reduced to just one other household or social bubble.
Paul Reilly reports:
We spoke to the Education Minister on UTV Live at 6: