John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There is a commitment on page 90 of the programme for Government to promote excellence and innovation in education. I welcome the recent decision of the Minister for Education and Skills to allow students who suffer a bereavement in the course of their leaving certificate examinations to resit those exams in July. I ask the Taoiseach to discuss with the Minister if that privilege could be extended to also apply to students sitting the junior certificate, which is also a State examination. I accept that it is not of the same importance as the leaving certificate but it is nonetheless an important exam for the students sitting it. Any student who suffers a bereavement would be in no position to perform to the best of his or her ability. The results of those exams sometimes inform the direction in which he or she goes for their fifth and sixth years. It is a reasonable proposal that it be extended.

See this speech in context