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

More than 8,000 Covid cases between the middle of November and the first week of February involve students aged 16 and over. That is higher than any other section of the population with the exception of healthcare workers. On health and safety grounds there is now a strong case that leaving certificate students should be the last students back into the classroom. Despite this, there are diehard supporters of the traditional leaving certificate who want to force students back to school next week, and if not next week then the week after. Why? It is to fit in with an exam timetable: week one, back in school; week two, the mocks. Health, including mental health, is more important than exams. The exams should be cancelled, the certificate given to every student and a place at third level offered to every student who wants one. Students can then be brought back when it is safe to do so. Given the variant and the high number of cases among the student cohort aged 16 years and over, why would the Government even entertain the idea of a return to class for leaving certificate students in the next fortnight?

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