Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all. Our students and our teachers have to be creative in their learning. They faced massive disruption throughout the senior cycle, from remote learning to long school absences due to Covid or being identified as a close contact. It has been an incredibly disruptive senior cycle, I am sure the Minister will agree, for our current batch of leaving certificate students. Some have been unfortunate enough to have to isolate more than once; others not at all.

The learning experience has varied from student to student, often dramatically. I am particularly concerned about the impact it is had on DEIS schools. When all were in remote learning environments between January 2021 and March 2021, the difference in the learning experience was compounded by such issues as Internet access and the ability - or inability - of parents to support their children. I say that not to assign blame but rather so that we can appreciate that not every household has a stable Internet connection or an abundance of devices to enable workers and students to work and attend classes, respectively. Unfortunately, some parents were unable to cope with homeschooling themselves.

These students want clarity. They deserve choice. I am sure my constituency office is not unique in having been contacted by numerous local sixth year students and parents who are seeking a hybrid leaving certificate examination model this year. These students have had the time to outline their legitimate concerns regarding the June examination. Their desire is to have a hybrid examination to reflect the hybrid learning experience they have had over recent years. These students have made the argument as strongly as any of us in this Chamber can.

I would like to quote from an email I received from one of the many students who have contacted me. It states:

We are not taught when we are absent from school, as none of the teachers stream classes online. We are just told to try and catch up on work we missed and we get the notes from other students. I was absent from school for a week. Thankfully, my PCR test was negative, but I was quite sick so I was unable to keep up with my school work and study plan for that week. My teachers messaged me what was covered in class, but I was not taught any of the material that was covered. I have tried my best to teach it to myself, but it is not as good as being taught by a teacher.

A recent survey undertaken by the ISSU was clear: students want the choice between the calculated grade and a written exam. These young students have faced huge disruption over the past two years, and alterations to the leaving certificate are not good enough. The issues need to be resolved pressingly, so I ask the Minister to support the motion.

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