Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Seanad is a better place with you in it. I thank Senator Malcolm Byrne for raising this very important issue. As he is aware, this is a matter under the remit of the Minister for Education.She is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021 until their return to school all students, including fifth year students who are due to sit their leaving certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future.

As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, the Department of Education provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all students in a Covid-19 context. These materials are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. They include information on well-being supports, coping with uncertainty and managing stress and anxiety, which have been developed by the National Educational Psychological Service to support students.

The webpage has links to more individualised supports for students to access, should these be needed. The Department also worked with the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure the most appropriate services and resources are clearly signposted for students. These resources are updated regularly and provide links to a number of other support websites for students and young people.

The nature of distance learning which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools last year and early this year required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils' continuity of leaming during that period. Schools and teachers demonstrated great innovation in adapting to the situation in using digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.

Extensive guidance and supports have been made available by the Department and its support services to support schools to plan for the transition to online and remote learning. As part of a circular issued by the Department, it became a requirement for schools to have in place a communication-learning platform that supports them to respond in the event of a partial or full school closure in the future, including the facilitation of live or recorded video lessons where practicable.

As I say, there are a number of different elements to this guidance. I have to say to the Senator also that I have a personal interest in this matter as my own son is doing his leaving certificate in 2022 and he is in fifth year at present. He has already started the senior cycle and the fact that the national advisory group is meeting tomorrow on this and other issues is very important. The advisory group I expect will make recommendations based on the loss of learning and I note all of the comments made by the Senator in respect of the students being placed at the centre of this process and many of them - and I have seen this with my son and his schoolfriends - have lost motivation and confidence. Those who struggle and have had difficulty in particular subjects have found it extraordinarily difficult to catch up. Indeed, whether the curriculum will be finished or not is something that will be considered by the Department. I am comforted, however, by what the Minister for Education has said in this regard and the fact that the advisory group is meeting tomorrow. Gabhaim buíochas.