Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to all sixth year and leaving certificate students and wish them well. I believe that the Leader may have a child doing the leaving certificate examination this year. These students have had a difficult couple of years with Covid in terms of their learning environment. This week there have been a lot of graduation ceremonies, masses and various other events and the examinations will start in a couple of weeks but I do not wish to panic anybody. Most sixth years are finishing this week and, therefore, we should acknowledge that they have had a difficult time. They are leaving second level education and will head out into the world. I wish them all well with their exams and their future. Equally, I wish their families, friends and everybody who has been involved in their education well. I thank everyone in the school community, including the teaching staff and the ancillary staff, including secretaries, caretakers, coaches and grounds people. These are all of the people who make education what it is. During the pandemic people appreciated how hard teachers work because they experienced what it is like to teach. Students were at home all day and every day while their parents or guardians tried to run their own lives and work lives yet simultaneously try to keep people involved with education. I pay tribute to this year's sixth year students who will shortly head out into the world.I wish them the best and I encourage them to try their best; that is all they can do. It is not the be-all and end-all but it is a big rite of passage, issue and event in people's lives and we should acknowledge that because most sixth years will be finished up by the end of this week.

I also want to acknowledge that it is Independence Day in Georgia, as Senators Wilson and Buttimer have done, and I wish them well. They have a difficult enough time at the moment dealing with one of their large neighbours, a bit like some other countries. Before we come back next Tuesday it will have been Independence Day in Croatia next Monday and I acknowledge that as well.