Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the work Deputy O'Sullivan has been doing on special education and can confirm that the Government will support the acquisition of that site.

On the broader issue of the leaving certificate, things are not going back to normal, as Deputy Ó Riordáin has suggested. This exam will not be the same as that which would have been put together in 2018 or 2019 in that about one third of the content has been cut back. The Minister did listen to the students. No one has come up with any alternative on the accredited grades. The fact that 25% of students did not sit the junior certificate and their data could not be used in an alternative accredited grades system is a very important point which is just being ignored in terms of any responses.

Students wanted clarity and certainty and that has been given. They also wanted greater choice on the exam papers and in the oral exams and that has been given, quite substantially. I went through some instances of that earlier today in respect of the English, maths, biology, art and accountancy papers. Very significant additional choice has been given to students and the burden reduced. It will not compare to 2019 or 2018 because of the greater choice being given.

The other key issue that students were anxious about was that they would not be disadvantaged in terms of grade inflation relative to the students of 2021. That has been also agreed by the Minister and that will be the case via the marking scheme and standardisation. The one area where the Minister could not respond was on accredited grades; not because she did not want to but because it would not have been as fair as last year. The Department could not devise a system that would have been as fair as last year's system, simply because we could not use the data of about 25% of the students because they had not done the junior certificate.

It is not about taking on the Department. I do not believe the Department is conservative on curriculum reform. There will be further reforms of the leaving certificate, as there should be. I would say to Deputy Boyd Barrett that the one aspect of the leaving certificate that has endure is fairness.

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