Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy raising this question on the floor of the House. The Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students, including those currently in fifth year and who are due to sit the leaving certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. However, students in fifth year were prioritised for a return to school following the return of sixth year students.

As the Deputy is aware, all students have now returned to school.

The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, the Department of Education provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils and students in a Covid-19 context.

The nature of distance learning, which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools last year and early this year, required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils' continuity of learning during those periods. Assisted by Department-funded resources and supports, schools and teachers demonstrated significant innovation in adapting to the unprecedented situation, including the use of digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.

A number of adjustments have been made to the assessment arrangements for the 2021 leaving certificate examinations to take account of the disruption to learning experienced by the students who are due to take these examinations this year. I am particularly conscious that current fifth year students have also experienced some disruption to their learning and this will be considered in determining the assessment arrangements for the State examinations in 2022.

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