Mr. Hugh Ahern:

Maidin mhaith a Chathaoirligh, a Sheanadóirí agus a Theachtaí. Is mór an onóir dom labhairt leis an gcoiste seo ar athchóiriú na hardteistiméireachta. My name is Hugh Ahern and I am a student of the Patrician Academy, Mallow. I am in third year. The leaving certificate examination was established under the Intermediate Education (Amendment) Act passed in 1924. Since its establishment, there has never been a major reform of the examination. This is why I urge the committee to consider a three-year reform plan, which should start in early 2022 and be completed for the sitting of the leaving certificate in 2025.

I will now go through the recommendations I made to the committee in my submission. There should be continuous assessment during fifth year. The fifth year Christmas examination and summer examination could be used for continuous assessment. The fifth year exams could count for 30% of the overall leaving certificate grade. Then, in sixth year, the students would sit one examination, as is the case at present. The reason I believe in continuous assessment is that the current leaving certificate examination, with only one final exam on one specific day, does not suit all students. For example, someone could have died in the family or a student may not be feeling well on the day.

The bonus points for higher level maths should be removed. This is not a fair option as it can add an extra 25 points to someone's results. Let us say students did not choose higher level maths and got the maximum 600 points. In this scenario, even if they received the maximum points possible they could still get 25 points fewer than students who did higher-level maths. Also, students put so much time and effort into higher-level maths that they can forget about the other subjects.

Project work would be beneficial for students who may struggle with exams. The way this might work is that one project would be completed in fifth year and another in sixth year. The two projects could count for 20% or more of the overall final grade for the leaving certificate.

Applied sciences, including woodwork, engineering and metalwork, should be promoted in girls' schools. These subjects should be offered in all schools regardless of the gender profile of the school. Unfortunately, a lot of girls' schools do not offer these subjects. Home economics should also be offered in all schools regardless of the gender profile of the school. Running a household correctly and knowing how to cook is an incredibly important life skill. Unfortunately, a lot of boys' schools do not offer this.

There should be a new subject of social, personal and health education and life skills. For students who do not select home economics and for schools that cannot offer it as a subject, a life skills course should be offered to help students deal with life's situations. I also believe that social, personal and health education should become part of the senior cycle curriculum as many schools do not have this.

There should be high-speed broadband Wi-Fi in schools. Every school in the country should be fitted with high-speed Wi-Fi as schools progress into the digital age.

All students should have access to digital devices for schoolwork. Covid-19 has shown us that there is a need for all students to have access to a digital device. Currently, only 81% of DEIS students have access to a digital deceive for schoolwork while 88% of non-DEIS students have access to a device.

There should be English support for students whose first language is not English. All schools should be required to offer support to students who have language difficulties because English may not be their first language and many students struggle with learning the language.

Regarding equal funding for schools, the same level of funding should be given to voluntary secondary schools as is offered to DEIS schools because all students should be given the same access to education.

There should be a new level for students who have completed national framework of qualifications, NFQ, level 1 or level 2. Unfortunately, there is a gap in the junior and senior cycle systems currently whereby the students completing NFQ level 1 or level 2 in the junior cycle have no equivalent system at senior cycle. That is why I am recommending that a new level be introduced for the students who have completed level 1 or level 2. They should be offered another next level so they can move on to senior cycle.

We should encourage more apprenticeships. To do an apprenticeship, a student must be at least 16 years of age and is expected to have a minimum of grade D in five subjects in the junior certificate or equivalent examination. Nowadays many employers require the leaving certificate to have been completed. The pathway to apprenticeships should be encouraged more by schools. Many schools encourage their students to go to college but not all students wish to go to college.

More oral and listening work should be included in the Irish language curriculum. The amount of literature studied should be reduced. This is because many students will use only the oral and listening aspects of Irish rather than read literature in Irish.

I would welcome any questions or concerns the committee may have. Go raibh mile maith agaibh.