asked the Minister for Education if he will say whether he has since reconsidered the injustice done to certain boys who will be deprived of scholarships from the Intermediate Certificate Examinations, 1941, as a result of the Departmental overruling of the original judgment of the examiner in Greek on his standard of marking, and if he has caused an examination to be made of the number of boys so affected, and will he say how many there are, and if he is now prepared to award extra scholarships, so that this injustice will not be done to these boys.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Intermediate Examinations in Greek.
I wish to point out that this question is based on two incorrect assumptions, viz: (a) that there was a Departmental overruling of the original judgment of the Greek examiner, and (b) that an injustice was done to certain candidates as a result. The Department did not overrule the judgement of the examiner in Greek on his standard of marking; that examiner decided that the original standard was too severe and revised it. As regards the second assumption, it cannot be admitted that an injustice was done to the boys the Deputy has in mind merely because they were not given the improper advantage which they might have obtained through an unfair treatment of other candidates. In these circumstances I am not prepared to consider the suggestion contained in the last part of the question.
Will the Minister say how many boys are involved, and have been deprived of scholarships?
I am not prepared to say that.
Does the Minister not realise that immediately the printed pass list, with the revised marks, are available that knowledge will be available to everyone in the country, as well as to the boys concerned? Does the Minister not realise that by simply sticking his head in the sand in this particular way the people who are injured will not have their heads stuck in the sand, and that there is a clear case to be faced here?