Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister to the House and commend her on her work because it is certainly not easy. She is dealing with unions and officials and is trying to do the right thing. Sometimes people do not agree with you when you are trying to do the right thing but you just have to stick to your guns and hope it works out on the day. It is a big challenge.

This group of leaving certificate students have been much more impacted by Covid than last year's group. There is no doubt that last year's students were impacted but the cohort of students this year have been even more impacted because they have gone through fifth year and the leaving certificate cycle essentially under the cloud of Covid. We are doing the right thing by giving students the option of having a leaving certificate. I wish the young people who are preparing for the leaving certificate who are anxious, as we all were when we were doing the leaving certificate, well. We did not do the leaving certificate under these circumstances. For those 60,000 students or whatever number of students are doing the leaving certificate, we must bear in mind the anxiety and challenges they face and wish them well in the final days of their preparation for what is the most important examination in their lives.

I believe we need to look at an overall root-and-branch reform of the leaving certificate. It is a very fair examination because it is very equitable. The points system and the CAO are very fair and equitable. The problem is that society and life have changed. I welcome much of the work done by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on apprenticeships. We need a more holistic approach to the final examination at second level and this approach needs a good bit of consideration and thought. When the pandemic comes to a conclusion, there is a logic to the Department of Education reviewing the leaving certificate to see if there is potential for a continuous assessment approach akin to what is done in other countries because anything can go wrong for a family or a young person when it comes to doing the leaving certificate and he or she may not perform at his or her best during that particular period. If there was a properly constituted and managed continuous assessment approach, that would be worth looking at.

A lot has been achieved with regard to young people with disabilities doing the leaving certificate. There are many special needs assistants and resource teachers to support young people along with visiting teachers for the visually impaired who do good work. I recall when I was in school that I attended integrated education in County Clare. I had a visit once a year from a visiting teacher for the visually impaired. I know things have improved since then.Technology has improved and the Department is not behind the curve in supporting students going to integrated education who have disabilities such as the one I have. That is welcome, appropriate and right.

On the health challenges, I do not know if the Minister and her officials have considered introducing antigen testing for leaving certificate students. Our concern is that as many students as possible should be facilitated in sitting the leaving certificate. I believe that there is logic in introducing antigen testing for the cohort of students who are doing the leaving certificate. I know it is not the same as PCR testing and that there is divided opinion on its effectiveness, but it would be another tool that could be used to help to ensure that as many as students as possible actually sit the leaving certificate examinations. Have the Minister or her Department considered introducing antigen testing? If they have not, would they consider doing so? It is being used extensively in the private sector and it seems to be achieving results, so why not use it to facilitate as many as possible to do the leaving certificate examinations? I wish the Minister well with her challenging portfolio.