Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the next two or three days, thousands of primary school children will be getting their summer holidays. This will be a great experience for the kids. I am sure the parents might not have the same view. It will be an unusual period for the next few weeks. I want to mention something about primary education. There is a major issue we need to start talking about. Over the last few weeks, the Drumcondra tests have been done in primary education. From first to six class, there is a period of exams. Results from second, fourth, and sixth classes are reported to the Department of Education.

There is a major flaw within the Drumcondra process itself. The flaw is that a dyslexic child is being discriminated against through this process. This is a huge issue that we have to take into consideration. Children who have a reading average of maybe a one, a three or a seven centile, depend on technology to help them go through the primary education process. When it comes to the Drumcondra tests, that assistive technology is taken away from them. Could you imagine a scenario where a student is helped to read every day in his or her class with a reading pen or iPad? Then, when he or she does the Drumcondra tests, the iPad and reading pen is taken from him or her. Over a 45-minute period, the student is then expected to do something he or she cannot physically do. He or she cannot read the question. However, in maths, the student is given a reader, because it is understood that the student cannot read the question.That it a huge flaw. Some 10% of our school population is dyslexic. There is a major issue with how we deal with our dyslexic population. In teacher training colleges, students have to opt in to do the course. It is not mandatory. How we deal with dyslexic children continues to be a disgrace. If I were to give the Department of Education a grade, it would be an F. That is the standard at which it is treating children on the ground.

We need to have a serious conversation about how we are going to deal with these kids. They deserve better. I met parents at the weekend who have kids in the one centile, which means that they are between the bottom 1% and 3% in reading. Their children had the assistive technology taken from them when they did the Drumcondra test. That cannot be logical. There are also mental issues to consider. These children are lovely lads. They went home thinking they were thick. They are anything but thick. They are probably the cleverest in the class but they are wired differently. The Department of Education must look at the model and change how it deals with dyslexic children.