Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a very strong view regarding all the necessary precautions that needed to be taken. Significant resources were provided by the Department in the form of PPE, hand sanitiser, reimagining the layout of buildings, etc. A great deal of work was done.

Huge credit has to be given in respect of the period during which there was a need for remote teaching and learning. We would be in a much better position to do both now than we were then, but there were excellent examples during Covid. Parents and guardians did a lot of work at home as well. When we look at international studies such as Progress in International Reading Literacy Study and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, we can see that our students are performing in the areas of science, literacy and so on. The results of these studies were analysed after Covid and again very recently. Our students are performing at the very top level in comparison with their counterparts in other countries. There is a major acknowledgement of the excellent work that was done by schools in co-operation with families. It is a fair achievement for the education system, in the context of international comparisons, to see students succeeding at that level.