John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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110. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied that sufficient efforts are being made to ensure teachers, schools and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the new leaving certificate cycle in the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17201/25]

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim ceist ar an Aire faoin obair atá ar siúl sa Roinn faoi láthair chun múinteoirí, scoileanna agus daltaí a shásamh go bhfuil an t-ullmhúchán ceart déanta acu don ardteist nua i mí Mheán Fómhair seo chugainn.

I ask the Minister about the efforts under way in the Department to make sure schools, teachers and pupils are adequately prepared for the introduction of the first tranche of the new leaving certificate or senior cycle syllabus for this September.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Reform of the leaving certificate senior cycle is the right thing to do. This is something that will benefit students. Nobody I have spoken to, including those who have concerns or who requested that this be delayed, has said we should not progress this, because everybody acknowledges it is the right thing to do. That is why I am committed to ensuring this is delivered and that we start this process next September. There is considerable momentum in the programme of work that is under way, which is primarily focused on preparing for the upcoming school year. When we look at what is happening, thousands of the 73,000 students who will be entering fifth year in September have already made their subject decisions. They have already based them on the fact there will be a new curriculum.

The leaving cert has served students well but this is about making sure we support students and reduce the amount of pressure they are under. Currently, the focus is on one exam at the end that can often go wrong for students. We need to take away that significant pressure and make sure there is an additional focus on critical and creative thinking and other types of skills. Leaving cert reform is central to how we do this.

In terms of what we have done and what I am doing, I am working with schools, teachers and students. The specifications or curriculum for the nine new and revised subjects in tranche 1 were published in September 2024. Their introduction to schools is being supported by a comprehensive package of support. Training has already been taken up by 26,000 teachers. A total of €12 million in funding has been provided to schools to support the introduction of new science subjects. I hope to be able to support them even further. Tomorrow, the State Examinations Commission will publish sample examination papers for each of the new tranche 1 subjects. There are 72 in total, two for each subject at higher and ordinary level. Following the publication, a series of webinars will take place for teachers, focused on these papers. Sample additional assessment component briefs will be provided by the State Examinations Commission at the start of the next school year.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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There is much more in train, which I will outline. A significant amount of work is already under way in that regard.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil chuile dhuine den tuairim go bhfuil gá le hathchóiriú ar chóras na hardteistiméireachta. I agree there is universal acceptance among all parties and partners in education of the need to reform the leaving certificate and introduce a new senior cycle, in particular one that, as the Minister says, would assess skills development and develop critical thinking rather than just content knowledge. We all welcome that, but there is no doubt there is still some concern among teachers in particular, but not solely among them, as there is also concern among parents and pupils about the accelerated implementation.

I very much welcome the information from the Minister tonight that the sample examination papers are to be published tomorrow, because that will help to ease some of the concern. Concerns remain that 40% of the overall grade will be for additional assessment components. Teachers are still worried about how the work will be authenticated as being sincere and genuine.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I have a later question that should have been grouped with this question. Will the Minister address the issue of artificial intelligence as a concern among those in the education sector?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This is not accelerated. This is something that was committed to ten years ago and it has taken until now to get to the point where it is going to start in September. Given the momentum I have mentioned, it is important we make sure it starts but that we support teachers, unions and students in making sure it happens in the best way possible and that students benefit from it.

A number of things have been done such as training, money for science labs, the State Examinations Commission publishing the sample papers tomorrow, the additional assessment components briefs that will be provided at the beginning of the school year, and guidelines to support completion of the additional assessment components.

Tranche 1 was published last December, having been developed with the SEC. The process involved teacher focus groups. There has been provision to schools with instructions around the use of AI in course work since 2023, but in addition and separately, my Department is working with the State Examinations Commission to develop high-level guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning. It is anticipated that this will be published shortly. Everybody acknowledges AI is here to stay. It is not about preventing students from using it but to make sure that insofar as possible-----

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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-----they use it in the most appropriate way, and that they learn as well when they are using it.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I echo the point of my colleagues across the floor. Some 82% of teachers surveyed feel they require some guidance on AI in regard to the new leaving certificate and authenticating the work that will be produced as part of the additional assessment component.

I am glad to hear the Minister tell us tonight that thousands of students have selected their subjects, because some parents have advised me their child is concerned about picking some of the tranche 1 subjects because of a lack of clarity on or awareness of the assessment process. The publication of the sample examination papers will help. I also welcome the money for science labs because another concern that has been expressed to me by an informed source is about the difference in the resources available to schools. Some schools might have more modern science labs, and more modern schools might also have more science labs than older schools, which would be of assistance to the pupils of those schools in completing the additional assessment components.

I very much welcome that but I have some concern about the implementation of new labs.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am absolutely committed to working with teachers and their unions to ensure we get this right. Today, following weeks of engagement with all the unions, I invited the ASTI and the TUI to engage intensively to see what more I can do to support them. Everything I outlined here, from the training and funding that is being provided, the papers that have been outlined, the further training that will be provided, the guidance that will be given around AI and what I am doing now in engaging with them further, I hope extensively, to see what else I can do, is to make sure this can be rolled out and that students will benefit from it. Thousands of students, as I mentioned, have taken up their subjects and thousands of teachers are preparing for this. I know from talking to students that they want this. They feel it will benefit them because the focus will not just be on one or two exams at the end of the year. This will assess other skills they have and make sure that is done throughout the year so that there is not just a focus on the end of the year. I am absolutely committed to working with the unions, teachers and students to make sure this can be rolled out and that everyone can benefit from it.