Dáil debates

Thursday, 4 June 2020

Covid-19 (Education and Skills): Statements

 

4:50 pm

Photo of Mick BarryMick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

The Irish Timeslast Saturday reported the following: "It is also understood the department is exploring the idea of a “tapered curriculum” when schools return."

It also reported: "Some elements of the junior cycle are also being curtailed, with incoming third-year students now required to complete a single classroom-based assessment in most subjects, rather than two." Will the Minister clarify whether this is the case? Is he considering a tapered curriculum for leaving certificate students of the class of 2021?

The Minister knows my position that the leaving certificate is unnecessarily stressful, biased against students from low-income families and an outlier in European second level education, that there should be a significant increase in State spending on third level to open it up and that the review of the leaving certificate should consider the exam's abolition and alternatives to it in time for the class of 2021. If he plans to taper the course for fifth years, though, might I suggest to him that it would need to be a significant tapering, giving that those students have lost one third of their classroom time in the 2019-20 year?

The world watched with horror the police murder of George Floyd, and many, myself included, watched with admiration the multiracial uprising of young people in the US against its President, police forces and an entire system that was riddled with inequality and racism. Demonstrators across the world have not only expressed solidarity but have pointed towards the racism that exists within their own societies. In Ireland, many young people of colour and Travellers who have joined the protests have highlighted the issue of racism in our society and education system. It exists and it needs to be tackled.

We know that migrant children are over-represented in larger schools, schools in urban areas and schools in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. We also know that school outcomes are far from equal. For example, 20% of migrant children drop out of school, which is double the rate for non-migrant children. A mere 1% of students from a Traveller background go on to third level education.

We must look at the experience of the education system through the eyes of students from minority backgrounds. I would be interested to hear from students from minority backgrounds about their experience of the education system. While schools officially have an anti-racism ethos, to what extent is this really followed through on to become a thoroughgoing ethos that pervades all aspects of school life? For example, how much black history would be learned by a black student in an Irish school? How much Traveller history would be learned by a Traveller student as well as non-black and non-Traveller students to raise their level of understanding of these issues?

Will the Minister comment on his plans to improve the anti-racism ethos in the education system and anti-racism outcomes?

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