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

What do the students want? Yesterday's Irish Second-Level Students' Union, ISSU poll of more than 20,000 students should give the Minister a fairly good idea. Four per cent want the Minister's traditional leaving certificate. Eighty-one per cent want a break with that model, as either a first or second choice for them is that they would have a choice between a watered down leaving certificate and calculated grades.

The Minister has not been listening. She has blocked students from making comments on her Instagram. She now needs to listen. Students are saying "No" to a forced leaving certificate. I would like to see the cancellation of the leaving certificate examinations with the cert given to all students and a college place offered to every student who wants one. At the very least, there must be no forced leaving certificate.

As for the Minister's idea of reopening schools for leaving certificate classes from 1 February, it is not a runner. Three quarters of students said they feel it is unsafe or very unsafe. Those students will go back to school when they are convinced that it is safe. They will not want to go back on Monday week.

Does the Minister realise that she will run into a wall of student opposition if she tries to force this issue and force students to go back to school on Monday week?

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