Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I tried but I did not learn it. I was in the classroom for the subject for four years. The same was the case with French. I have a view of languages, which often people have of the Irish language. Some of it was my own fault and some of it was due to the way it was taught. It is strange everybody else in my class managed to learn French but I did not. That may say more about me than others.

I have a brief question for Mr. Moran but I also have other questions. How many submissions on the public consultation on the Irish language were received? He might have the figure. The closing date for receipt of them was last week. For the information of the committee and the officials, I advise that my committee, Comhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge, made a submission to the public consultation process. We concluded a report last week or week before. It might be helpful for this committee’s discussions.

I spoke of my schooling 40 years ago when I did the leaving certificate. I was in awe of Germany and countries like that which had continual assessment as part of their education system at that time. We seem to have been slow learners. We have been so slow it took this pandemic to wake people up to the potential of continual assessment and there being less of a need for a terminal examination. I welcome the fact we are doing that.

I wish to comment on the dangers of a continual over-reliance on digital technologies. Deputy Farrell referred to this and spoke of literacy and numeracy levels. People are using computers and the computer is doing the work for them. We all become lazy and in some cases one can forget how to spell words if one is not writing as regularly as one did in the past and is letting the computer do the work. How does the education system up to the leaving certificate level address that? Other issues arise at university level. It is important not to be over-reliant on digital technologies given there is still a digital divide within the country and society as a whole. Some people do not have access to reliable Internet and broadband connection and some people do not have access to a computer. If students are studying at home and depending on a computer to do their homework, especially as there seems to be a move for many textbooks or class work to be online, and if they have little access to the Internet or a computer, it must be taken into account there is also a need for physical textbooks, study work and tests.

I have one further question as the Department officials are present and we are discussing reform of the leaving certificate. Even though it was unimaginable three years ago that all the examinations would be conducted online or by continual assessment, we seem to be facing into another year of that. When will a decision be taken on next year’s leaving certificate in terms of the oral examinations, practicals and mock examinations?

The mock examinations will be coming up in February or March in a lot of schools. We now need to be making decisions early to let the students know. This is the third year and we have come through the other years. Hopefully a lot of lessons are being learned from the application of exams and continual assessments over the past two years, which may be able to feed into the ongoing assessment of the leaving certificate reform.