Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their statements and submissions. My first question is for the departmental officials.

While I welcome the reform, changes and new developments in respect of physical education, I have questions. This is not the first time I have raised the matter at the committee. There are schools which do not have a PE hall, including one in my constituency which has not had one for 37 years. I do not know, therefore, how the manner in which the rolling out of that subject as part of the leaving certificate programme will be fair and equitable. It is like saying to students taking music as a subject to leaving certificate level that all of the necessary resources will be provided but that when it rains, they will not have access to instruments, that they will not be able to play music and that they will not have music manuscripts. I do not know how that could be considered fair. Every school should have the same facilities and all students should have equal access.

It has come to my attention that there are schools in which there are more students who are exempt from taking Irish in the leaving certificate examinations - up to 32 in one classroom - than who are who taking it. What are the guidelines in that regard as it is not fair on either teacher or students? There can be a range of academic abilities in a class comprising 32 students, some of whom may have a requirement for special needs assistance which is not available because assistance is being provided in the classroom in which Irish is being taught. A teacher can be dealing with students ranging from A level to those with special needs to those coping with a language barrier and need assistance. Are there plans to address these issues in the leaving certificate reform programme?

There is a worrying trend with respect to the leaving certificate applied programme. Schools are opting out of offering the programme because it is not considered to be as attractive as the leaving certificate programme and also because it is not considered to attract the right type of student. How does the Department intend to tackle that issue? It must be brought to attention that on the day the leaving certificate examination results are issued students who have completed the leaving certificate applied programme are often overlooked and not interviewed. No spotlight is put on students who have spent two years doing their utmost to do well in aiming to achieve the distinction of passing the leaving certificate applied examinations.

Why will the review of the leaving certificate applied programme only include English and communications, mathematical applications and ICT? What about the subjects of music, the arts, languages, leisure and recreation and hotel and catering? Why are not they not included? Is it only the module descriptor that is included? Does that mean that there will still be key assignments to be completed? At the end of sixth year, as the departmental officials and, I am sure, everyone here know, the teachers are told to hold on to the key assignments completed until the end of September. How often have they been inspected? I know of a school in which never once have the key assignments completed by any child been inspected and this provision has been in place since the mid-1990s. With the module descriptor, there is a tendency for the teacher and the child to move to the key assignments and make sure they are completed, sometimes without critical thinking, and tick the appropriate box. One may find a few students have done the exact same work in the key assignments. It is a question of getting over the line. What about the practical achievements which are key elements of the leaving certificate applied programme? Why is that matter not being reviewed by the NCCA?

What information is given to students on the leaving certificate applied programme when it comes to choosing it? What information on and encouragement to participate in apprencticeships are given to students? Is it sporadic and does it depend on the career guidance teacher or the school? The statistic which shows that there has been a 2% take-up is frightening.

My final question is for the Department or the parent' council. Those students who have followed the new junior cycle programme have followed a different type of course as part of which they have embraced critical thinking, but to take English as an example, they will now move to learn by rote. What supports are in place for them? It is a leap into a different type of learning process because the reforms will not be implemented in time for them. In 2018 what supports will be in place for them to make the transition?