Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Tattan, Dr. Hislop and Ms Feeney are very welcome. The committee appreciates their time. This is a very important topic. It is also an emotive one. I am thinking of the 60,000 students who are preparing to take the leaving certificate in 2021 and the 60,000 who completed their leaving certificate in 2020 but still have questions regarding the process that was in place. I have had several conversations with teachers, principals and pupils and have received several emails in recent days on this issue. I believe I owe it to those who contacted me to raise the particular points they made. The leaving certificate students who contacted me were incredibly articulate in terms of defining their issues and anxiety and they were very clear about what they wanted for themselves and their peers. I was struck by their contributions. I will tabulate those contributions and send them to the Department because all that correspondence needs to be read.

The particular concerns of the students who are to take the leaving certificate in 2021 are around the loss of class time and the content overload. I know the Department has made some changes in terms of the curriculum that will be assessed in the leaving certificate examination but, having listened to teachers and students, I contend that is not enough.

There is now a slow-down correction process for homework and tests and that adds to it as well. There is a lack of access to laptops. Perhaps there are a number of students within a family when there is only one laptop at home, which is causing difficulties.

There are difficulties about being back at school in terms of masks and the lack of lockers. I know we are all conscious of this. There is no more group work in language classes. Again, there are concerns about the orals. Will they be held? Will they be held in Zoom format in a one-to-one context? There is definitely an increase in stress and anxiety since the return to school in September. We must address the mental health of students and ensure they have positive mental health. The fact that they cannot participate in other activities such as gym or sport is definitely affecting them. There are students who missed additional time due to Covid cases in their school or family and they are particularly concerned about that. Other affected areas included are specific subjects such as field study for geography. The agricultural science sample paper has only just been released. The details of a new research project for economics to be completed by December were given this week. The practicals in science and music are also affected.

I received a number of emails, particularly from parents and students who were downgraded. There is concern about that and the November exams. Some people felt that they should be cancelled and held in June. In general, teachers were very positive about being back in school and everything they could do but there was a feeling that there was a lack of consultation with school leaders around some aspects of it. Again, they are concerned about increased anxiety and mental health concerns.

The very specific questions I have are around responsibility for the errors found. Does responsibility lie with the Department or Polimetrika? Was the model tested before it went live? Can the witnesses from the Department outline what needs to happen to ensure the model is fit for purpose? I appreciate that the witnesses said that the Department is planning to hold conventional exams in June. How will they comply with public health and social distancing measures? If students are out due to Covid, will there be a second set of exams during the summer?