Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I want to talk about compassion within our education and State examinations system. I am no fan of the current leaving certificate model but it worries me gravely that we are moving backwards and not forward when it comes to compassion for students. Compassionate leave was granted for the first time in 2019 to students who suffered a close family bereavement over the course of their written examinations. I believe that this leave did not go far enough, as it extended only to three days' leave from examinations. Almost 50 students availed of this leave in 2019. Almost 50 students who could have lost a parent or a sibling on a Monday were expected to return for their examinations on the Thursday. This is the most compassionate the leaving certificate has ever been but we have removed it for this year. Tomorrow, if a student who is due to take the French paper takes ill or experiences an epileptic seizure or any medical emergency, there is no alternative arrangement in place for the student to take the examinations at a later date. As the Taoiseach has said himself, the current system is too inflexible. We have crossed the Rubicon in respect of the leaving certificate due to Covid. I ask the Taoiseach that we introduce the bereavement leave as offered to students in 2019 and go far beyond what was offered by investigating the accredited grade model in order that a student who experiences exceptional circumstances at any point in his or her sixth year can avail of an accredited grade.

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