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

I have three questions for the Minister. She is not a supporter of a policy of open access to third level education, but does she think it fair to force students to compete against each other for limited college places in a pandemic year? For two years in a row, the State has been unable to organise a traditional leaving certificate. Given that this exam is out of date, unacceptably stressful and biased against students from lower-income backgrounds, does she not think it is time to abolish the leaving certificate and adopt a policy of providing open access to third level education?

There were more cases recorded recently among second-level and third-level students aged 16 or over in a period of less than three months than among any other group in the State with the exception of health workers. From a purely health and safety perspective, would she not agree that these should be the last students to go back to school rather than the first?

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