Results 81-100 of 6,038 for speaker:Cathal Crowe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Hear, hear.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: On behalf of all committee members, I sincerely thank the Donald, Rosie and, in particular, Sive for being here this morning. It takes great fortitude and courage to come in and speak. It is one thing to speak for yourself but she is showing leadership today by speaking for the many students, some of whom are probably watching and some are not. There are teachers watching as well. Ms...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I ask anyone attending remotely to mute their device when not contributing so that the meeting does not pick up any background noise or feedback. I also remind those in attendance to make sure their mobile phones are on silent mode or switched off entirely. Members attending remotely are reminded of the constitutional requirement that in order to participate in public meetings, they must be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Very good. I call Ms Feeney to make her opening statement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I thank Ms Feeney and Ms O'Callaghan. We will move on to members' questions in a moment. Members will have four minutes each. The time is constrained so I remind members that in those four minutes they should try to give sufficient time for the answers. They might hear the bell occasionally. I apologise in advance, but we need to move to the next member and so on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I apologise for cutting Ms Feeney off. We will get deeper into this as we go along.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Thank you. I understand Senator Tully is swapping with Deputy Roche.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I am up next on the speaking roster. I hope this line of questioning does not come across as glib because there is a point I wish to get to. How many staff are working in the State Examinations Commission?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I appreciate that. The reason I am asking is that I was a primary teacher. We did not have much to do with the State Examinations Commission. I am sure teachers and students often wonder what is going on in the State Examinations Commission in the months when the junior certificate and leaving certificate are not happening and grades are not being verified. Without getting into the full...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Yes, that will be next week.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Does it ease off a little bit after that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I think everyone here appreciates the seasonal spikes and the huge pressure with exams. There is a lot going on there, but the commission is also reasonably well resourced. There are arms of the State and State bodies that do not have 200 staff filling their offices. Given that the commission is resourced to that extent, how was it, in 2009, that the commission's own expert advisory group...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: How can there be inaction from 2009 to-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: It is paralysis of decision-making, at least.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: If I can interject, I will go back to the point that this recommendation was first put internally in 2009, the year that Sive was born. Sive is just one example of thousands of students. She has gone all through preschool, primary school and has likely had learning support. NEPS has been involved. There are copious reports and recommendations, and now she is quite close to finishing her...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I better stick to my own rules. I better move on. I call Deputy Jen Cummins.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I will give Ms Feeney about a minute. I am giving everyone a little over the time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: I will give time at the end to wrap up. I am conscious of the constraints so I will give time at the end to conclude some remarks. Senator Shane Curley is our final contributor. Apologies, Deputy O'Rourke has rejoined us.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: Be reasonable, Deputy. It is not a fair charge.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Issues Affecting People with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Discussion (2 Oct 2025)

Cathal Crowe: On policy, the Minister will be here another day. I will give extra seconds at the end but from a policy point of view, when we have officials in, we can question implementation and challenge on how it is being implemented but if we are talking about policy and the overall ethos of an examination, that is for the Minister. I will give the Senator extra time now.