Dr. Katriona O'Sullivan:

I want to respond to the question about stress. It would be my view, and I think other people said it, that reducing the emphasis on the terminal examination after two years would be the ideal way to reduce stress and move to a process where we have examinations and continuous assessment that are assessed throughout the senior cycle or prior to it.

We talk about the outcomes of the leaving certificate applied. The positive outcome of the leaving certificate applied is that the students are less stressed. The negative outcome is that they are not employable but the positive outcome is that they are less stressed. The students are in a curriculum that is focused on development skills and that is pre-vocational so there is some learning to be had from the ESRI report in terms of the content of the curriculum, how it is delivered in the leaving certificate applied and how that can be transferred over to the leaving certificate academic track. Stress can be reduced by including a skills-based focus.

The other response I wanted to make was on the question of whether knowledge is out the window, so to speak, now. Knowledge and skills go well together and if teachers are given the opportunity to develop the curriculum they are currently delivering and are supported to do that in a creative way we can keep the knowledge our education system is renowned for and deliver it in ways that make students more skilled and suitable for the employment market into which they are moving. I would be an advocate of knowledge but knowledge and skills can mesh very well together. There are excellent models being employed in Ireland and internationally where there is a combination of knowledge and skills. It is about resource and support across the education system. Teachers we have worked with in the project I have worked on want a change. There is a desire to change but when it is imposed upon them and there is lack of support in terms of broadband, technology and time away from the classroom to immerse themselves in this change, it will be challenging. Knowledge and skills are one, and it should remain that way.