PLANS to ditch one exam system and replace it with another that looks similar to one rejected 25 years ago, was never going to be popular.

Education Secretary Michael Gove’s idea of maybe bringing back CSEs and O-levels has been met with alarm and downright anger in some quarters.

Others would argue that the current GCSE is an increasingly devalued educational currency.

But the biggest fear of those worried by Mr Gove’s plans for the exam system is that what he is suggesting may lead to a return to the disastrous two-tier system which saw so many children branded as failures merely by being judged less able and entered for CSE exams rather than the more highly rated O-levels.

Most people would surely agree that our exam system needs rigour and should offer young people the opportunity to earn qualifications which properly reflect their talents and have some value to the wider world.

The last thing children and possible future employers need is a system which devalues and undermines future generations.

Hopefully Mr Gove’s plans will be approached with the same vigour that we would want from an exam system and only a workable, worthwhile alternative allowed to test our future generations.