Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy asked why the exams were cancelled. They were not cancelled; they were postponed to a date on which it will be safe to do them. We are pursuing the calculated grades system. The Deputy is correct in saying that it was not only public health advice that informed what the leaving certificate would look like. The student voice was quite instrumental and very significant. I engaged with 16,000 to 17,000 students on Instagram one evening. This very loud voice was certainly a big factor. Mental health was a big issue. I had written advice from our National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, about the anxiety and pressure this was causing for young people and we considered disadvantage and digital inequity. There were a number of cumulative reasons we arrived at this decision.

I say again that in a week's time, we will have guidelines on how the calculated grades model will work. The emphasis in those guidelines will be on ensuring students' performance over two years, irrespective of their school environment, is taken into account. With regard to those taking classes outside the school, we will have to have tutors assess their performance over two years. These grades will involve the professional judgment of the teacher and the whole school community. The principal and teaching colleagues will be involved and the vice-principal may be involved. I do not have all the answers. We have operated this system for 94 years and we are going into the 95th year. We are introducing a new system in a matter of weeks. We are all going to need help and guidance. From day one, I have insisted on nobody being disadvantaged as a result of where he or she is from or the school he or she attends. This system involves a performance indicator decided by the school and the all-school grade over a period of two years.

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