Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators Aisling Dolan and Micheál Carrigy for raising this very important matter and allowing me the opportunity to address same.

The Department and the State Examinations Commission have been progressing and planning for the 2022 junior cycle and leaving certificate examinations. This has been done in consultation with the advisory group on planning for the State examinations and with public health.

Both the National Parents Council post-primary and primary are represented on the advisory group, and I will come back to the point that both Senators have made in terms of that aspect. Other members of the group include representatives of students, teachers and school leaders, and representatives of the State Examinations Commission, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, higher education and the Department.

The Department is aware that the leaving certificate experience for the class of 2022 has been disruptive. The State Examinations Commission, working with the Department, has sought through a range of measures to take account of the disruption to learning experienced by these students. These measures include the following: adjustments to the assessment arrangements for the 2022 State examinations that were announced in August 2021. These adjustments were designed to take account both of the disruption to learning experienced by students in the early part of 2021, as well as providing for some possible further disruption in 2021-2022; revised arrangements for leaving certificate oral language examinations, and the performance tests in leaving certificate music. These examinations will take place outside of school time over the first week of the school Easter holidays, and will minimise disruption to teaching and learning; and pushing out of the timeframe for certain assessment elements of the leaving certificate applied examinations. Schools were also reminded of the flexibility available regarding the dates for the completion and authentication of leaving certificate course work.

The Minister also announced that an alternative set of leaving certificate examinations will be run in 2022 and shortly after the conclusion of the main set of examinations. This will be for students who are unable to sit the main set of examinations for various reasons, including Covid-19 illness, bereavement or serious illness.

The Department has also made available guidance materials to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils or students in a Covid-19 context. This includes information on well-being supports for leaving certificate students. It includes a series of supports on managing well-being, coping with uncertainty and managing stress and anxiety, developed by the National Educational Psychological Service in the Department.

The Department continues to engage with all partners in education on all matters relating to leaving certificate 2022 examinations. The advisory group on State examinations, as both Senators know and stated, met on Thursday last, 20 January. A number of updates were received from group members, including reports of results from surveys of their members that were conducted by some bodies. The issue of grade inflation was also raised. The meeting was positive and collaborative with all parties committed to continued engagement in the short period ahead in order to provide clarity in relation to State examinations 2022. It was agreed that the members of the group would reflect on the contributions made at the meeting, and that engagement would continue between the Minister and the stakeholders on a bilateral basis. The bilateral engagement has been continuing since late last week and over the weekend. It is planned that a further meeting of the advisory group will be held in the coming days.