Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues for sharing time. I thank the Minister and Minister of State for their work over this challenging period on designing the return to school. Inevitably, it will never be quick enough for any of us but we are delighted a start has been made. I also thank all of the staff of the Department of Education, the teachers, staff of schools throughout the country, the unions and all associated with engineering the pathway we now have. It is great to see at least some children back in school at this early stage and it is to be oped by April we will see all children return to the classroom.

In terms of vaccinations, I note that NPHET has acknowledged that all those who are essential to education should be in the first third of people vaccinated, and that is certainly welcome. I would ask that they are as high up as possible within that third because obviously we depend hugely on them to educate our children. The developmental aspect of their work is so important and we need them to be in a position to attend school. Within that, I ask the Minister to contact the Department of Health to see if some can be further prioritised. I refer here to the teachers in mainstream education who deal with children who, for a variety of reasons, are not capable of wearing masks. I am not talking about people who have an objection to wearing masks or who have an ideological view that masks to do not need to be worn. I am talking about children, some with autism, who may not be in a position to wear masks because they become very agitated and so on. I am referring to a small number of teachers and SNAs who should be further prioritised within the group of people deemed essential to education under the vaccination programme. I ask the Minister, along with her colleague the Minister for Health, to impress upon NIAC the importance of prioritising this group within the larger one.

Understandably, the focus is very much on this year's examination students, but Deputy Canney alluded to the fact the current fifth year students have had much reduced face-to-face learning opportunities, and I agree with him. Such learning is obviously a very important aspect of the leaving certificate cycle. I ask that in early course the Minister signals her intentions with regard to those students. Is it envisaged they will be given a choice as well? I know we are a long way out from leaving certificate 2022 but now is the time to acknowledge the fact they will not have had the same level of preparation as others in years gone by and that something must be done for them.

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