Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Tógfaidh mé ceithre nóiméad agus fágfaidh mé ceithre nóiméad go leith do mo chomhghleacaí. The political management of leaving certificate 2020 was a lesson in chaos. Last year, decisions were made and reversed on a weekly basis. It feels like we are back to square one. Currently, students around the country are having their stress levels ratcheted up, in large part due to the political chaos around this particular issue. I know of students who lost months last year in school and who will lose a month this year. I know of a student who was sitting in the cold in his back garden every day because it was the only place he could get the necessary Internet connection to participate in lessons.

There has been some debate on whether exams should take place this year. The key point is that students are being left in the dark. The Government needs to make a decision on it as soon as possible.

I wish to put on record my opposition to the closure of special schools. This was an absolute disgrace. Joanne Murphy, an Aontú colleague of mine in County Cork, made the headlines in recent days when she spoke of her own experience. She has a 15-year old son who has autism. She did not know how to tell her son that the schools were not going to reopen because she knew that if she did tell him, his heart would be broken. She said: "The last lockdown his anxiety levels shot through the roof. He went from being happy and easy going to flapping and hitting and repetitive talking." Thousands of parents in recent weeks have had the experience of watching their children regress before their eyes on a daily basis.

The other sector I wish to speak about briefly is children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Education offers them a lifeline. I also worry about children who are at risk of abuse. Last year, the number of referrals to Tusla during the lockdown fell significantly. That is because teachers are best placed to note the warning signs with regard to children at risk. Domestic violence, mental health and drug and alcohol abuse are on the rise in families around the country. Many children are being left in difficult situations in the middle of that.

The questions I have for the Minister are very simple. First, when making decisions, will she do so in complete partnership with the stakeholders - the teachers, the unions, the parents and the students? When she does not do that, it leads to the crisis that we saw last week.

Why were special education and education for children from disadvantaged areas closed? Will the Minister commit on the floor of the Dáil to making a declaration on the future of this year's leaving certificate in the next fortnight so that the anxiety levels of students around the country can be punctured?

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