Dáil debates

Thursday, 30 July 2020

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

State Examinations

11:35 am

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the knock-on impact anticipated due to the delayed announcement of the leaving certificate results; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19287/20]

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I am very concerned about the knock-on effect of the delays to the leaving certificate results, particularly with regard to mental health, student accommodation and the appeals process. Will the Minister address these issues? What specific and pragmatic supports and resources has the Minister put in place to address those concerns?

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh. I look forward to having our own stand-alone question time in September so we can tease these issues out.

I am very conscious that this is an important time for students finishing second-level education and hoping to progress to employment, further education and training or higher education. My own Department and the Department of Education and Skills are working to ensure that this onward transition can happen as smoothly and equitably as possible.

On 16 July it was announced by the Department of Education and Skills that students would receive their calculated grades on 7 September. As the Minister, Deputy Foley, has outlined, this is the earliest possible date given the rigorous quality assurance checks required to ensure that the 2020 results enjoy the same status as those of previous and future years. Students will benefit from these checks.

We now have clarity on what will happen next. This has been welcomed by students and their parents. We now know that the first round of Central Admissions Office, CAO, offers will issue on 11 September 2020. Last week I also met representatives of the higher education institutions, namely, the Technological Higher Education Association, THEA, which represents the institutes of technology, and the Irish Universities Association. I welcome their publication of commencement dates for each first year student. This was the next piece of the jigsaw. We now know when first year students will commence, with the majority of our colleges welcoming first year students on 28 September.

The Deputy asked about the important area of practical supports. We have put a funding support package of €168 million in place to support the safe opening of the third level sector to students and provide the sector with the resources to ensure safe operations. I was eager for this package to include practical supports for students. We have doubled the student assistance fund from just over €8 million to €16 million. This recognises that many students have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own as a result of Covid-19. We have also increased the mental health budget, providing an extra €3 million of mental health funding for students. This has been welcomed by many. We have also provided a €15 million fund for access to digital devices. We must recognise the digital divide. People will need dongles, tablets, and laptops. This €15 million will be distributed through the Higher Education Authority and the network of education and training boards. I will comment further in a moment.

Photo of Rose Conway-WalshRose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I wish to refer specifically to mental health and mental health supports. I am very conscious of the six weeks prior to the results. The anxiety levels will increase as we go through this process. How can someone access the money or assistance the Minister of State has mentioned? Moreover, will the Minister of State discuss the timeline for appeals?

I also wish to discuss those who completed their leaving certificate in 2019. How can they be assured of a college place? There is a lot of anxiety among those students, who do not know whether this year's entry requirements will be along the lines of last year. Will the Minister of State provide reassurance to those students who have taken subjects outside of school? Has he considered reducing college fees in light of the fact that so many of these students will not have the opportunity to take up the summer jobs with which they expected to fund their third level education?

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for those questions. I made similar inquiries about mental health supports this morning. The €3 million in additional funding that we have provided has been allocated to the Higher Education Authority. That body will now distribute it among the individual institutions. I expect it to be used to increase the capacity of the counselling services that are in place in colleges. As I get a breakdown of that, I will be more than happy to communicate it to the Deputy in writing.

Regarding the timeframes for offers and appeals, I understand that the first round of CAO offers will be made on 11 September, with a reply or acceptance date of 16 September. The second round will issue on 23 September with an acceptance date of 25 September. The first and second rounds of offers and acceptances will have taken place in advance of the commencement of the university year.

The issue of registration fees is important. I will consider this in the context of the Estimates. I have commissioned an options paper to examine reductions of the cost barriers to third level education. That will look at registration fees, the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant thresholds and other issues. In the interim, the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and I have decided to focus the additional supports on targeted areas like the student assistance fund and mental health supports.