asked the Minister for Education if he is aware of the general dissatisfaction at the delay in the publication of the results of the Primary and Intermediate Certificate Examinations; and if he will take steps to ensure that the results of these examinations will in future be published prior to the re-opening of the schools after the summer vacation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Primary and Intermediate Certificate Examination.
77.
My first concern in the matter is as far as is possible to ensure uniform and proper marking in all examinations which are my responsibility. It is accordingly necessary, towards this end and for the correlation of results, to afford adequate time to the examiners and the official staff.
In this regard I might mention that in the case of the Intermediate and Leaving Certificate examinations this year, the numbers of candidates were 16,217 and 10,036 respectively, entailing the examining of a total of over 300,000 scripts.
It has been found possible, as from three years ago, to advance by about a month the issue of the results of the Primary School Certificate examination. For the last three years, accordingly, the schools have had the Primary Certificate results in time for their purposes and I am not aware of any dissatisfaction in this regard.
Similarly, although representations are made from time to time for the earlier issue of the Intermediate and Leaving Certificate results, I am not aware of any grave dissatisfaction in relation to the time of issue of these.
I might add that it is not easy to see how, with the great and increasing number of candidates for the Intermediate and Leaving Certificates, it would be possible to have reliable results under the present system issued appreciably earlier than is done now. I am satisfied that it is only by very strenuous efforts on the part of all concerned that it is possible to have the Leaving Certificate results issued early in August and these followed early in September by the Intermediate Certificate results.