Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the issue of non-teachers marking leaving certificate examination papers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29329/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The State Examinations Commission appoints approximately 3,600 examiners annually to mark the Leaving and Junior Certificate written examinations.  The primary requirement for examiners is subject competence.  The SEC has a strict policy when it comes to the recruitment of examiners which requires that personnel appointed to mark the state examinations are appropriately qualified. The Commission advises:

- Examiners appointed are selected on the basis of their academic qualifications, their teaching experience and their examining experience.

- All examiners are appropriately qualified for the work.

- Most of them are experienced serving and retired teachers.

- A large number of experienced examiners are reappointed each year

- When making new appointments, priority is given to teachers

- All appointments are overseen by the Chief Examiner

This year, as in every year, the Commission prioritised qualified teachers to correct the exams but every year there is a very small portion of examiners who are qualified in the subject area they are correcting but who are not qualified teachers. In 2017, a very small proportion (20 or 1.9% of all Junior Cycle examiners and 2 or 0.1% of all Leaving Certificate Examiners) held a qualification in the relevant subject but did not have a teaching qualification.  However, it is important to emphasise that all examiners go through rigorous training and and their work is monitored by an experienced member of the examining team who samples their work throughout the marking process. The Commission takes corrective action in any case where an examiner’s work falls below the required standard. These measures are designed to ensure the fair, accurate and consistent marking of every candidate’s work.