Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will begin by confirming that I am in Leinster House. I thank our witnesses for their thought provoking opening statements and submissions. Some of the witnesses have already touched upon this issue and I do not want to prescriptive in terms of who answers my questions. Over many weeks and again this morning we have discussed the fact that the leaving certificate is good at certain things but deficient in other areas and that there is a question mark over whether it prepares students for the world of work or even third level and further education. My fundamental question is whether the leaving certificate as it currently stands is an appropriate barometer of students' ability to perform in the workplace and it appears from what the representative of ISME, Mr. McDonnell, had to say, that may not be the case.

I want to focus on trying to move away from a terminal examination and on the points made around continuous professional development, CPD, and how that might be worked into a reformed leaving certificate. I wish to focus on moving away from the terminal exam system towards a more appropriate, module-based assessment within the classroom and on how the introduction of such a model would benefit the workplace. My first question is a broad one around changing the leaving certificate from a terminal to a module-based structure. I would also like to focus on new areas of economic activity where the leaving certificate is not measuring or training students. I am thinking here of coding and climate change. I will throw those two questions to the floor for a willing witness to answer.