Mr. Eamon Dennehy:

There is no real issue around that. What we want to preserve in our schools, and what I want as a practising teacher, is for the teacher to be an advocate for the students being taught. I do not want to be judge, jury or executioner if it comes to that either.

I do not want to do that, especially at that age of students' lives. We are talking about teenagers who may be 16, 17 or 18 years of age. They do not need somebody to judge everything they do, all of the time. They need an advocate and support and that is what teachers do now, under our present assessment. Our system is also verifiably fair. It is absolutely fair and transparent. It does not allow one school or person have an advantage over another in the exam. All the things happen around and before the exam, such as coaching and all that, but that is what happens when one has an unequal society. The schools are not unequal - society is. People who come from the poorer parts will not be able to access the education system in the same way as wealthy people, especially when it is one as poorly funded as ours.

The system we have now is fighting with one hand behind its back, on behalf of our young people. The real proof of that is we manage. Our schools are safe, fair and democratic places in which people can even overcome their socioeconomic disadvantage. That was proven in the recent OECD report. That is about the culture of schools we have. I suggest having funding. By all means, let us evolve our system. Let us look at areas of it and improve them and maybe have two components in every subject. I do not know. We will look into that, but it must be based on solid research and it has to be financed. Otherwise-----