UP TO 53 Libyan students are registered to sit the Leaving Certificate exam this month.

It is understood that those who still wish to take the Irish State Exam can travel to Malta from next week. One of the students is due to travel to Ireland and will sit all exams in a centre in Dublin.

It is not yet known how many of the remaining 52 will actually travel to Malta but the State Exams Commission is working with the Irish Embassy and Maltese Examinations Service to provide the facilities.

The SEC said that on the advice of the Department of Foreign Affairs it had decided not to offer the Irish Leaving Cert in Libya again. Visas have been granted to the 53 students for travel to Malta.

The Leaving Cert has been taken by students at the International School of Martyrs (ISM) in the capital of Tripoli since 1997. The principal of the school had first asked the Examinations Branch of the Department of Education about the project in the early 1990s. According to the SEC, it wanted a broad-based, internationally regarded examination system and selected the Irish system in favour of the International Baccalaureate or the British GCE system. The syllabus was first taught in September 1995.

Last year was the first year the exams were not held as it was decided it was not feasible due to the political unrest stemming from the Arab Spring movement.

Fourteen students travelled to Ireland and took the exams in centres in Limerick, Dublin and Cork.

Arrangements were made for 28 other students to travel to Malta but Maltese authorities refused to provide visas. Although two superintendents travelled to Malta, no student arrived to the exam centre so it was closed after three days.

No such issues are anticipated this year.