Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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This is my first opportunity in this venue to welcome my good colleague and friend, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, for coming in to respond to this issue. We saw that the leaving certificate classes of 2020 and 2021 both experienced enormous difficulties. It was through the leadership of the Department and the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, that we were able to reach an accommodation. I pay tribute in particular to the work of the Irish Second-Level Students Union which engaged very closely with the Minister and her officials in a spirit of collaboration in order to reach an accommodation for this year's leaving certificate. Well done to all of those who managed to survive this year.

Those who were in fifth year last year experienced significant disruption. A lot of students are concerned about the fact that the curriculum may not be covered by the end of the year. Even though teachers made valiant efforts to cover the course remotely, some students had difficulty being online all of the time due to insufficient broadband and home environments may not have been supportive. The online learning experience is not as good as that in the classroom.

It is important that there is clarity as soon as possible and certainty that the students who will sit the leaving certificate next year know what they will face over the academic year 2021-22. They require clarity on what is happening with the leaving certificate next year, what allowances might be made and what supports will be put in place for students. Will there be adjustments to the exam? I am aware that the Department is in discussions on this matter. The hallmark of the Department's engagement to date has been to place students at the centre of this process and to ensure that the welfare and education of students is to the fore. They have lost out on a hell of a lot, including aspects of their education. As legislators, we have an obligation to try to ensure that they are supported in whatever way we can during their leaving certificate year, but in particular that they have clarity on the type of exam they will face and what supports and allowances will be made.

I am very conscious that the Government has expanded the number of places in higher education and also in apprenticeships, which means that for the leaving certificate classes of 2021 and 2022 there are more post second-level school opportunities than ever before. However, the Minister of State will understand the enormous worries that those who are entering into sixth year now face, having lost out on so much over the past year. I hope certainty will be provided this summer before those students go back to class in September so that they and their teachers know what they will face in the following academic year.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Byrne. The issue he raises is quite timely given that today is the final day of the leaving certificate exam. In one minute's time students will be starting Japanese, politics and society - very appropriately, Arabic and physical education is the final exam this afternoon. I again welcome the Minister of State and invite her to proceed.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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We wish all those students the best of luck today. I also take this opportunity to congratulate you personally, Acting Chairman, on your recent election back to the Seanad.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State very much.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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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.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister very much for her reply. I obviously wish her son and the 60,000 other students who are going into leaving certificate year the very best in the year ahead. I know that the advisory group is meeting and that there is student input but the earlier that certainty can be provided to that student group, the better.

There has been, as the Minister of State has rightly pointed out, a great deal of anxiety. Students have felt that they have lost out on aspects of the curriculum. It is going to be difficult to get the motivation back and some have have learned in a different way.

I appreciate that there are many complex issues here and that schools have been doing their best but it is very important that before the academic year starts students are informed about the exact supports that will be in place and what will happen in 2022, and that they are consulted throughout this process. I would greatly welcome such an assurance.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. The fact that there has been a detrimental effect on fifth year students means that we very much need that clarity as soon as possible, preferably before the school term starts in September. As you know, fifth year is the start of the senior cycle. I have seen my son and his friends struggle with the amount of months of the senior cycle that they have missed. They are asking me on a daily basis what is happening and whether we know if accommodation is going to be made for the leaving certificate next year. The fact that we have student representatives on the advisory group is a good thing, along with parents, teachers and other groups. All of that will feed into making the proper decision that is required in this instance during these unprecedented times.

Again, I extend my best wishes to all the leaving certificate students finishing up today.