Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Like my colleagues, I commend the witnesses. They are fine ambassadors for the youth of our country. Our country is in good hands with them coming along. I wish to raise one or two questions. Regarding the well-being of our students, I alert our witnesses to the fact that last September this committee published a report on promoting positive mental health in our schools, which contained some key recommendations. We have forwarded that on to the Minister for his consideration.

Comhairle na nÓg's report shows that less than half of students are satisfied with counselling and career guidance services at their schools. Was that due to the reduction in career guidance or the standard of services that was available? Apart from career guidance, is there a need for a completely separate counsellor in schools to deal with students' well being and mental health?

I am curious as to whether the witnesses have noticed any change in teaching techniques in their own experience of schools from, say, first to sixth year. Is there more active learning as inspections are looking for that from teachers? Alternatively, is it a generational thing, whereby the new generation of teachers is very much focused on active learning? Finally, I am interested in the witnesses' thoughts on inspections. At the moment it is just a questionnaire that some years fill out, or that parents of some students fill out. I refer to the management leadership learning inspection, MLL. What are the witnesses' thoughts on what they would like students' contribution to inspections to be?