Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I speak as an educator of 20-odd years in a classroom. The Minister is right that no one is questioning the professionalism of the teacher. This is about ensuring the student receives due regard for his or her work, but we must be careful to ensure that, in a new model of education delivery, the appeal system is wide ranging, open and transparent and is not confined within the prisons of certain operations.

I understand where the Minister is coming from, but look at how operations have changed in terms of how people can appeal marks and view scripts after the publication of leaving certificate results. There is an opportunity we need to grasp now where the leaving certificate is concerned. In the context of this section, is there any willingness on the part of the SEC or the Department's bureaucracy to consider how to make the accredited grades system part of the leaving certificate in future? I come from a generation that had to learn off poetry and read Peig Sayers. The Leas-Chathaoirleach is probably of the same generation.