Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Following on from what Senators Buttimer and O'Loughlin have said, it is important that people dial down the rhetoric and get down to negotiation. I wonder whether the common good is being served by the kind of debate that we are having about the leaving certificate, calculated grades and-or a combination of both. What strikes me listening to the media discussion of this issue is that it is doing nothing to help the situation. National unity is what is required right now. We are in a crisis situation and the real focus of the country should be on keeping people safe and well, and getting the vaccine to people as quickly as possible. The panic ridden discussion about the leaving certificate, the controversy generated by people saying they are pulling out of talks and people clamouring to have their particular point of view on this issue heard is not only pointless, but harmful. What is needed now is a recognition that there is no perfect answer to this problem, there is no possibility of absolute certainty and seeking the perfect is the enemy of the good at this time. I would like to see a private discussion and negotiation where the different parties - students, teachers and parents - are all heard. In the end, it has to be a consultation, and decisions have to be made that will not please everybody 100%.

When I hear the student voice, I am glad that we now listen to the student voice in these discussions but we have to acknowledge the paradox as well. We rightly listen to the student voice in a way we did not do a generation ago but at the same time in the background there is the realisation that if we announce that there will be no leaving certificate there is the risk that students will down tools. It is time that we acknowledge that and give leadership to the younger generation.

I would say talking to people on the airwaves about how stressed they must feel by all of this is doing nothing to help them to be resilient at this time. There is a bigger picture and we need to reach for it.