asked the Minister for Education whether his Department received complaints from a teacher or teachers in Kilkenny or elsewhere in regard to the mental arithmetic tests set for the primary certificate examination in the past number of years and, if so, when such complaints were received, and what action was taken in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mental Arithmetic Tests.
A search of my Department's records over the past five years has been made but no complaints of the kind referred to by the Deputy appear to have been received.
Is the Minister aware that six years ago a teacher from Kilkenny wrote complaining about these papers? He got an acknowledgment, but no further answer has been received since.
We looked over the records only for the past five years.
Can the Minister say why the matter was not attended to?
I certainly hoped that I would not be asked to go into details of this kind in relation to the Department of Education as far back as six years ago.
I should like to draw the Minister's attention to this complaint made by a national teacher six years ago about these papers. He got an acknowledgment to his complaint saying that the matter would be attended to. I want to know now why the matter has not been attended to during these six years.
I cannot say.