Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I compliment the work of my Wexford colleague, Deputy Kehoe, and the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I also compliment the Minister on her work in this area.

In the context of online bullying, while I welcome the new strategy with regard to bullying, a lot of our concern is not so much about the bullying that takes place in the playground but the bullying that takes place in the online space. The Minister may be aware of the tragic case of Eden Heaslip that was covered on "Prime Time" where the bullying that happened in the community continued in the online space. We need to be able to address that. The online safety and media regulation Bill will be before the Houses quite soon, and one of the issues the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Martin, is considering is the introduction of an individual complaints mechanism. She is going to set up an expert panel that will include children's rights representatives to consider how such a mechanism could be introduced. It would be important for the Department of Education to reflect on the concerns expressed in the joint committee's report but also the concerns expressed on behalf of the education community as to how that individual complaints mechanism should work. The social media companies have not been responding in an effective way to address this problem which is why we need an independent complaints mechanism. I hope the Department of Education will engage with the process when the Minister announces the expert panel and when the legislation is being debated in the Houses.

Whatever about the question of the leaving certificate model for 2022, it is accepted that leaving certificate reform is necessary and I welcome the fact the Minister is committed to it. We need to look at new ways of assessing how students have performed at second level, particularly in terms of measuring core competencies and key skills. The traditional model, which has effectively been in place since 1925, needs to be changed significantly. I welcome the fact the Department is beginning that process. I also welcome the Minister's collaborative approach and the fact she is always very keen to involve as many people as possible.

In one sense, we have been lucky with the leaving certificate for the past two years, even with some of the grade inflation we have seen, because the Government has expanded the number of higher education places and significantly improved the apprenticeship and further education and training models. The fact that, two years ago, 5,000 additional higher education places were provided and, last year, 3,000 additional places were provided made a real difference. While I appreciate this is not directly the concern of the Minister for Education, we still have to address the crisis of funding in the higher education space. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, said 2021 would be the year the issue around higher education funding would finally be addressed, five years after the Cassells report was published. As I said, I appreciate this is not the direct concern of the Department of Education but it obviously relates to some of the concerns being expressed about the leaving certificate at the moment. I would ask that the concerns expressed in this debate would be taken on board by the Government. While we welcome the fact there has been an expansion in the number of places, we want a quality higher education experience for students. The Government needs to address the funding question in higher education.

I wish to turn now to the crucial issue. We are all talking to many people within the education community at the moment, especially students. The Minister has adopted a very collaborative approach. It is important to listen to all of the views of all the partners in education. The Minister has been right to listen particularly closely to the views of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union, ISSU. Given the extent to which students and young people have suffered, not just academically and educationally but also in terms of a range of other areas affecting their personal development over the past two years, it is appropriate to consider the hybrid model or adapting the leaving certificate exam so that students are given more time or more choice in the papers. The main thing is to get a decision very soon as to what is going to happen in June. Clarity must be provided within the next two to three weeks so that everybody knows the rules of the game over the next few months. The Minister is right to engage with everyone and to listen to their concerns but do we need clarity. It is only fair, not just to the leaving certificate students but also to junior certificate students. They need to know the rules of the game so that they can prepare accordingly.

The Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science expressed concerns around the issue of educational disadvantage. We do not know the full extent, as yet, of the impact of Covid-19 or the fallout from it.There are students who will have had no problem keeping up as they learned at home and I was very struck by the remarks made by Professor O'Mahony. However, there are students who will fall behind if they do not have access to their teachers or a classroom environment. Educationally, emotionally and socially many students have been unable to develop to the full of their potential. It is critical for society generally but, in particular, the education system that we ensure that over the next number of years supports are put in place so that if young people have lost out during the period of Covid, it is not something that will have an impact on them for the rest of their lives. Yes, we can never replace what has happened over the last two years. I know that the Minister was able to do it with the July provision and a lot of the work that was there but we have got to ensure that no student or young person is left behind. We have got to be sure that coming out of this, and recognising the sacrifices that young people have made, we as a Government and a country provide the maximum number of opportunities for young people. The Minister's approach in putting the student and the learner at the centre of that discussion has been the right one, and I am certain that she will continue to do so.

Finally, I wish to reiterate, as colleagues have done, that the decision, regardless of what it is, should be made as soon as possible to provide certainty.