Marie Louise O'Donnell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I think this is wonderful. Anything that helps the situation for students moving from leaving certificate into third level must be welcomed. I want to go offside a little and discuss something not in the recommendations or the executive summary of the submission from the network. Perhaps it was not part of the remit. In any event, I am keen to know the opinions of our guests. How have we reached this stage of the problem and why is there a need for this network? What has happened? Aside from the obvious, what is the reason we are at this stage? What is the opinion of the network on why we have got so bad, so quickly in mathematics? Do the members of the deputation understand my question? What is their opinion in view of the fact that they now have a school of mathematics and they are meting it out in myriad areas? Why have we got so bad, so quickly in respect of this problem to warrant the existence of the network?

The network is essentially a travelling school of mathematics. What are our guests' views on awarding points for failure? That is what we are doing in the leaving certificate now. If a pupil fails honours mathematics or gets between 30% and 39%, he or she can pick up between 52 and 56 points. Perhaps I am not right on the matter, although I see some people nodding their heads. The representatives of the network can correct me if I am wrong. I realise it is an arbitrary figure but there is something wrong with saying that if a pupil gets between 30% and 39%, then she can pick up between 50 and 58 points on the pass paper. There is something radically wrong with that.

Is what the network is doing at the right level? Would our guests prefer to be dispersed into primary education? Senator Ó Clochartaigh mentioned that as well.