Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I listened to her contribution, which was very comprehensive, in my office due to the current Covid-19 restrictions in the Chamber. We are 20 months down the line since the start of this pandemic and we will probably be dealing with it for another period, no doubt. I compliment, in particular, the teachers and the staff of the primary and secondary schools and the third level institutions around Ireland in how they have dealt with one of the most horrendous periods of their lives in the past 20 years, from trying to facilitate learning at home right through to the new restrictions in schools and changing leaving certificate practices. We have never before seen a change of work practices in the area of education such as that witnessed in the past 20 months. I acknowledge the degree of dedication on the part of those on the front line when it comes to education.

Significant issues need to be addressed, especially in the area of education. I have four children in primary school. The twins are in junior infants and I have one child in fourth class and one in sixth. Every Monday and Friday, I take the lads to school. This gives me an indication as to what is happening at school level. I see it from going in the gate and ensuring that the twins to have their hands sanitised, which is an ordeal every morning. That kind of engagement starts at the school gate. That is the real engagement that has happened and I want to compliment the staff on it.

From talking to parents and school staff, the big issue that arises relates to the number of days we have lost. From September to the end of December, some students may have lost ten, 15 or 20 days. That is a significant issue when it happens at the start of a school cycle. Over the past 20 months, significant numbers of days have been lost because of the major issues pertaining to Covid-19. How are we going to catch up? How will the school and the education system modify itself to take that on board? I realise that the Minister mentioned schemes and money that will be announced but this concerns nearly the entire class. There will be a gap because of the number of days lost.

I saw this myself in my family where one of the twins got a cough two weeks ago. A Covid-19 test was done and the child was out for three days. The children were fine, thanks be to God, but they have lost days on a continuous basis, whether for colds or the flu, because, in fairness, the teachers and management need to be protected. A significant and comprehensive body of work will have to be done for students, particularly those who have come into the system, in the context of how they can make up for the time they have lost.

The other issue relates to children with needs such as dyslexia or issues pertaining to it. I was talking to a child yesterday who was on a movement break and I was asking her how she is getting on with the mask. She said it was fine but that when she goes out to do a movement break and comes back in, that is when the impact of the mask hits. This was an 11-year-old child I was speaking to. A little bit of give and take is required regarding the wearing of masks. The masks are a great step forward, particularly for the cohort that has been asked to wear them. The majority have bought into it very easily because they have seen it at home and in society but there will be a lead-in time in getting used to the actual proposal that needs to be worked on with the active management of the schools. That will take a little time to bed in. We are living, as one Senator said, in extraordinary times. On foot of that, we are doing extraordinary things. However, this is about ensuring that we can support school management and parents. That is the important thing for every family. They need to get information and support in order to ensure that they can do their bit to keep school settings safe.