Jen Cummins (Dublin South Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for acknowledging the huge pressure students are under. Having worked in education for many years and having my own children go through the leaving certificate, it is a time of huge pressure not only for the student but also for everyone around him or her. It is quite a difficult situation. At what point will we be rid of this system? When will what was put in place during the pandemic period be over?

I am a little concerned because in the previous proceedings, we talked about the need for broadening the base to recruit for special education schools, which are going to need more occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists. These are at the higher end of the points scale. When are we going to broaden it out for there to be enough spaces on these courses? As the space in the course dictates the amount of points, they are all tied in together.

As I did not hear it in the Minister of State's response, I will return to the issue of HEAR and DARE. These are vital and those students must fight even harder to get to the points in the way that they can. We really need to be equitable to those students.

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