Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Táim ag roinnt mo chuid ama ach ní chím an Teachta eile sa Teach faoi láthair.

In common with Deputies who have already spoken and probably those who will speak afterwards, I acknowledge the difficulty gone through by this year's leaving certificate cohort as well as the impact that the pandemic has had on young people's lives, not just in terms of their education, but also their wider lives - matches, part-time jobs, relationships and everything else that goes with that time of life.

The leaving certificate has been acknowledged as a rite of passage, although I am not entirely sure that is a positive thing when people in their mid-40s refer to waking up in a sweat thinking that they had the leaving certificate the next morning. Maybe that goes to the issue of leaving certificate reform, which I will revert to shortly.

As to the specific aspects of the Bill, I welcome the choice element. This was something that was voiced consistently by young people. I met young people across my constituency and I join in commending the students union, which was excellent and put its point across well. That 87% of students opted to take an exam as well as accredited grades explodes the myth that this year's leaving certificate students were looking for some sort of easy way out.

I welcome the role of the SEC. Whatever else about the leaving certificate, it is impartial and transparent, and the SEC's role is important in that regard. I also welcome the protections offered for teachers, principals and boards of management. It is essential that teachers be free to make these decisions and educational assessments free from any sort of lobbying. This is an important provision in the Bill. I welcome that school historical data are excluded. This is also an important provision. I was going to ask for more details. The Minister has indicated that a detailed procedures paper is in train as regards a formal process to report canvassing. That will be important.

I wish to build on a point that Deputy Ó Laoghaire raised and to which Deputy Ó Ríordáin referred somewhat. The issue of grades inflation does not just apply retrospectively. I worry about the leaving certificate cohort of 2022. If those students sit a more traditional leaving certificate, I wonder about how their grades will hold up against this year's and whether there will be a long-term impact in terms of competition. I would like the Minister to consider that matter.

We have a moment here to examine the idea of the leaving certificate. Deputy Ó Ríordáin referred to this matter. I worry that it is an exam that rewards people who are very good at doing the leaving certificate. I am not sure it is an exam that does well in terms of rewarding creativity or critical thinking, and neither can slow, deliberative thinking skills expect to be rewarded in the three-hour pressure cooker of an exam situation. The 87% cohort of students who have opted to do both represent a large and valuable data set. We should not squander the opportunity to use that data set to evaluate critically the leaving certificate system, how good a job it does and how well it rewards the students who go through it. We should do this with an eye towards including in the longer term an increased component of continuous assessment and everything that goes with that.

In light of the leaving certificate reform agenda and the commitment in the programme for Government to hold a citizens' assembly on the future of education, the student's voice has never been more critical. I hope that the Minister finds a space to include it in the deliberations on leaving certificate reform.

See this speech in context