Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Burke. I congratulate him on his appointment and wish him the best of luck in his great job.

I am a great believer in the leaving certificate, just as I was in the "inter", as we called it. The leaving certificate programme has served the country and families very well. It has been kind, good and expansive. It has also been highly developmental. Mr. Burke made a point about its transparency. It has been good and I like its structure. Examinations are very important as we need to be able to form our minds and memories. They are very good for young minds, both practically and from the point of view of memory.

I would like to mention something that disappoints me.

I have worked in the third level sector a lot and it blames the second level sector for the calibre of students. I would tell the third level sector to look in the mirror because, at times, its teaching level is very low. This is now all over the newspapers because it must do simple things with students and teach them the basics. That is what university is about, namely, teaching new basics in a new way. I am a great believer in the second level structure and believe it is a mighty and very robust one.

I wish to ask about two matters. Mr. Burke must do something about the grading system for honours mathematics. We talk about confidence in honours and pass mathematics, the business of grading and of doing pass if one does not really make it doing honours. All of this is a complete mess. Saying 29% in honours maths is the equivalent of 50% in pass maths is baloney. One either passes or one does not. Whatever way it is worked out, it must be clearer and restore confidence, which has been eroded.

I have been raising the following matter for months. Some 25% is given to those doing mathematics and yet it is not given to those doing music. It is a banking system of education and it is sort of a capitulation in terms of how we regard creativity. We should award marks for creativity. If 25% is given to mathematics, then give it to a language or choice subject. I ask Mr. Burke to bear this in mind because it raises the question of the kinds of knowledge we empirically think are more important than anothers. Dell, Microsoft and pharmaceutical organisations will look for creative minds as well as people who studied physics.

I happen to be looking at end-of-life issues, loss and bereavement across Departments. I wonder what the commission's policy is when it comes to dealing with students who suffer great loss and bereavement during examination times. I am talking about family loss, sibling loss and bereavement. How the bereaved are treated at examination time is very important. Are extensions granted? Are allowances made?

Confidence in the examination system is very important. It has been somewhat eroded and it is being eroded bit by bit in regard mathematics.

Another issue is externality. I will not ask Mr. Burke for his opinion on an internal or external examination process. I believe we should keep the process external as it maintains confidence in the process and keeps it arms length.

I wish Mr. Burke good luck in his new role as it is a wonderful job. I believe totally in the junior and leaving certificate examinations and I hope things move onwards and upwards and that there good changes ahead.