Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Cathaoirleach's decision to accept Senator Clune's motion on the Adjournment regarding the leaving certificate problems encountered yesterday and discussed thoroughly in the House. This is the second morning in a row that the State Examination Commission, SEC, has declined to appear on "Morning Ireland". The damage done to young people by the mistakes in the mathematics paper in particular and the further mistakes in today's Irish paper requires an apology. If the SEC gets a third invitation to appear on "Morning Ireland" tomorrow, I hope it appears. Doing so would be important. I look forward to hearing the Minister's comments on the Adjournment.

As Ms Katherine Donnelly wrote in today's Irish Independent on foot of the Education Research Centre's report, and as mentioned in an editorial entitled, "Stop the foot dragging on science and maths", the report shows that we do not have sufficient training in these subjects at primary level, which is the foundation for later development, and our teachers are younger but not trained properly in science and maths, which means that this problem will persist for a long time. The main universities are running down teacher training. It is divorced from science and mathematics departments and is becoming a branch of sociology. Research funds are being used to buy out teaching, the most important function in teacher training and universities as a whole. We have a great deal to do if we are to remedy this situation.

In light of the mistakes, the SEC's disregard for the hundreds of thousands of young people doing examinations shows that we have much to do. The Minister may need to insist that the SEC account for what it did yesterday as well as its declining of two successive invitations to speak on "Morning Ireland".