Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the State Examinations Commission, SEC, has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the leaving certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission and the Department of Education are acutely aware of the needs of candidates and other stakeholders in regard to the provision of leaving certificate results, and the State Examinations Commission has being doing everything it can to ensure results are delivered as soon as possible.

The intended date of Friday, 2 September, is in line with the date leaving certificate results issued to students in both 2020 and 2021. Some 131,000 candidates are undertaking State examinations this year, which represents an increase of 6% on the last time a full set of junior cycle and leaving certificate examinations were run, in 2019.

There are significant factors which, when taken together, meant it was not previously possible for the SEC to give a planned date for the issuing of leaving certificate results. These factors included the holding of a deferred sitting of leaving certificate examinations for students who experienced close family bereavement, suffered serious injury or illness, or were unable to present for an examination on public health grounds due to Covid-19; the commitment that the overall set of results in 2022 would be no lower, in the aggregate, than the 2021 results; and the availability of sufficient numbers of examiners to mark written examinations. In addition, as with other years, sufficient time must be allowed for an extensive range of checks and quality assurance procedures in advance of the issue of the results. These are required to ensure the highest standards possible are maintained. The State Examinations Commission has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to ensure their work is marked to the highest standards of quality and integrity, and the commission must be able to stand over the results it issues each year.

In March of this year, officials from my Department and the SEC briefed the further and higher education sector on challenges that could arise this summer. Over the past two years, by working collectively with education stakeholders, it was possible for the further and higher education system to respond to the needs of students wishing to continue their education and training. I am confident this will be the case again in 2022. In similar fashion to the past two years, contacts with international counterparts are taking place and will continue over the summer to ensure Irish students continue to have all options available to them.

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