Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 64: To ask the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 27 of 26 February 2009, if his attention has been drawn to the view that some student councils regard the whole school inspection process as factually inaccurate because in some cases student councils are asked by the principal or their teachers to be less than frank and open with the school inspectorate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12238/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A meeting with representatives of the students' council (or a representative group of students where no students' council exists in a school) is one of the techniques that inspectors use when evaluating the work of post-primary schools. Inspectors make every effort to conduct this meeting in a relaxed, informal manner so as to put students at ease and allow them to talk openly about their school. The evidence collected during these interviews complements evidence collected from a range of other sources including observations in the school, the examination of students' work and progress, examination results, attendance data, information from school documentation and interviews with staff and management. A further important source of evidence comes from the meetings that inspectors conduct with the parents of students, and I should note that no evidence has come to my Department's attention from these meetings with parents to suggest that their children have been asked by a principal or teachers to conceal their criticisms of a school.

The Deputy appears to be suggesting that in certain cases, principals and teachers have instructed students to give false or incomplete evidence to inspectors during the course of whole-school evaluations. I am very concerned at the allegations that the Deputy is making. I am not aware of any instance where this has occurred, but I would urge the Deputy to provide my Department with the names of the schools, principals and teachers to which she is referring in her question so that the matter may be pursued with the school authorities concerned.