Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, to the House. You are most welcome.

Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo ar maidin. Is léir go bhfuil géarghá le comhrá cuimsitheach ar an ábhar seo agus go bhfuil réiteach na bhfaidhbe seo ag teastáil láithreach ar mhaithe le daltaí na hardteiste 2025.

I thank Senator Pat Casey, with whom I have worked closely on this issue in recent weeks. Like me, he has fielded a high number of queries on this from students and concerned parents across Wicklow. The recent news relating to leaving certificate grade inflation, namely, that it is intended to reduce this year's post-marking adjustment to 5.5% from the previous pandemic average of 7.5%, sent shockwaves through the secondary school system and left leaving certificate students extremely anxious that they would miss out on their preferred course in the Central Applications Office, CAO, system.I have experience of this, having been a teacher for the past few years. Especially during the pandemic, this raised the anxiety levels of students. For context, between 2019 and 2020, there was a doubling of the number of students receiving a H1 grade in leaving certificate subjects. There is already enough anxiety associated with the leaving certificate. This is evidenced by recent Jigsaw research that revealed that 22% of leaving certificate students reported severe to very severe levels of depression during their leaving certificate year. It is widely acknowledged that exceptional measures were necessary during Covid-19 and that, generally, the Government got it right, but we need to get it right again now. No young person sitting the 2025 leaving certificate should have his or her dreams dashed because of previous measures that were out of that young person's control.

To further compound students' misery, a record 83,000 applicants have been made to this year's CAO, according to recent Irish Examinerarticles. This means that approximately 40% of applicants will be at a significant advantage in the points race, having done the leaving certificate in previous years when grade inflation was at its highest. This raises many serious questions. First, will the taxpayer have to foot the bill if students who miss out on courses successfully pursue the State legally? Second, can this be avoided by offering an increased number of spaces on third level courses in high demand in our colleges? If so, can this be communicated as soon as possible to these students to take them out of their misery in this year?

We all recognise that students who went through secondary school during the Covid-19 years were robbed of the best years of their lives. Nobody has an issue with the fact that they received inflated grades. However, we need to ensure a fair levelling out of grade inflation to ensure that future leaving certificate students are not unfairly discriminated against.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue. It is a topical issue at the moment because of the concerns that have been raised. I welcome the opportunity to address the House. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has said that she is conscious of the stress relating to the exam periods. As Minister of State in the Department, I understand the serious challenges facing students and I do not want to add to that stress.

While grade inflation must be reduced, it must be done in a way that is as fair as possible. The CAO system is distinct from the operation and accreditation of the leaving certification by the State Examinations Commission. Access to higher education is a matter for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The Department of Education has been working closely with the Department of further education on this matter. I am aware that the Department has been working over many years with the higher education and further education training sectors to provide increased opportunities and pathways into further and higher education to help reduce the pressures on students.

The Department of Education has been advised that the proportion of higher education entrants who completed their leaving certificates in the previous year typically around 13%. There are no indications at this time that the proportion of students applying with pre-2025 leaving certificate results varies significantly this year compared with previous years.

Regarding the leaving certificate, following the implementation of calculated grades in 2020 and the dual approach of the examinations and accredited grades in 2021, two types of intervention have been implemented in recent years, namely, adjustments to the examination and assessment arrangements and the post-marking adjustments to outcomes. The first of these - the adjustment to assessment arrangements - assists students by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations while incorporating additional choice for students. In some cases, the adjustment measures provide more time for tuition by, for example, reducing preparatory work for practical examinations. The adjustments to assessment arrangements that have applied in recent years continue to apply in the 2025 leaving certificate year. The second intervention - the post-marking adjustment - has ensured that results in the aggregate have remained the same on average since 2021. Aggregated grades rose significantly in 2020 by 4.4% and by a further 2.6% in 2021.

As is widely recognised, we must return to pre-pandemic levels. In April 2024, it was announced by the then Minister for Education that this would be done gradually in line with the commitment that there would be no cliff edge relating to the overall results. In 2025, the State Examinations Commission will again apply a post-marking adjustment after marking is completed. This will bring results, in the aggregate, to a point broadly midway between the 2020 and 2021 levels, resulting in an aggregate in 2025 that is expected to be above 2019 levels by at least 5.5% on average. This return is being done in a gradual way to minimise the impact on students in so far as possible.The State Examinations Commission has been a successful organisation. It is an independent body with considerable credit. Huge store has been put in it by the entire education system - the students, parents and education practitioners - over many years because of the excellent work it has done. Those are the points I wish to make.

Shane Curley (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. I understand it is hard in real time to gather data on a current issue, in this case the number of applications. However, there seems to be some dispute and ambiguity as regards what percentage of applications received this year were from previous leaving certificate years and students who had the grades that were increased by, on average, 7.5%. That needs to be taken into account.

It is a stressful time for leaving certificate students. I was a secondary school teacher. We need to reform the leaving certificate. That is a different debate which overlaps with this one. The leaving certificate puts serious pressure on young people. There is then the added stress of potentially being at a disadvantage compared with previous leaving certificate years. We have moved from 70,000 CAO applications last year to 83,000 this year. Those extra students will have a significant advantage in their points. That adds enormous pressure. Will there be an increase in the number of college places provided to students this year to alleviate the damage done by the reduction in points increases? I understand we need to level this out and it cannot be done as a cliff edge and needs to be done gradually. I appreciate it is being done in that way. However, we need to be mindful of the fact that we must communicate with students in a timely fashion to allow them to relax a small bit and concentrate on studying for their exams.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator. I am acutely aware and conscious that the leaving certificate can be a stressful time for families and students. There is the stress of the examinations and of the decisions for students as they determine their pathways into work and continued education. We are taking a gradual approach to the return to pre-pandemic outcomes. I note the point the Senator made. Everybody accepts that we must work through this with the gradual approach that has also been taken in other jurisdictions. Students sitting their leaving certificate examinations this year will still benefit from the adjustment to assessment arrangements and the post-marking adjustment that the State Examinations Commission will implement. We are acutely conscious that this is a complex issue with no simple solution. The timelines for further removal of the post-marking adjustments and the exact level of future adjustments after 2025 will be informed by the 2025 experience. It is appropriate that we take the time to review the 2025 experience before making any adjustments to the time required for a full return to normal marking processes.

The Department of Education is working with the Department of further and higher education on this matter. The Department has been working over many years with the higher and further education and training sectors to provide increased opportunities and pathways to help reduce the pressures on students. I have been advised this morning that the CAO and higher education institutes are working to address any challenges and respond to student demand, ensuring that students have access to the opportunities they deserve.