asked the Minister for Education if his attention has been drawn to a recent news conference given by the Federation of Irish Secondary Schools at which they expressed deep concern about the arrangements made to mark the 1964 certificate examination papers; and, if so, whether he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Marking of Examination Papers.
27.
I have already given the House and the country an assurance in regard to this matter. Anything that has happened in the meantime has only strengthened my conviction that the marking of this year's examinations will be entirely satisfactory.
Can the Minister say if it is true that a majority of those who have been appointed examiners have not had any recent teaching experience and that in fact a considerable number of those appointed as examiners have no teaching experience at all?
Teaching experience is not a requisite for marking examinations in this country or as far as I know, in any other. The qualifications required are degrees or equivalent academic qualifications. This year the same standards were used and persons with the same type of qualification were available. It was somebody else who set up the idea that only teachers could mark examinations. It was not I.
Surely the only person qualified to mark examination papers on a subject for which there is a definite course and definite text books prescribed is the teacher who has actually gone through the course and the text books?
This is an opinion expressed by teachers but not accepted by educational authorities in this country or to my knowledge in any other. It was not accepted here even before this trouble this year. It has never been accepted by the educational authorities that this is a job for teachers alone. There are other opinions on this matter than the one the Deputy indicates——
Is it the normal practice in this and every other country that examiners are in fact for the most part teachers?
Not because they are teachers——
Is it the normal practice?
It was given to them at their request because they had other qualifications. It was never established as desirable or the right of these teachers to have these posts exclusive of anybody else. It was given to a big number of teachers because they had the qualifications. This year when the teachers withdrew their help, I had to seek people with these qualifications, and I succeeded in getting them. Other members of the public have these qualifications as well as teachers.
Does the Minister not consider that a more conciliatory attitude towards this problem would be a better policy?
The Deputy seems to be under the impression that I prevented the teachers from doing the examinations. Everybody interested in doing the examinations got ample opportunity of helping. The examinations have been carried out successfully.
Could the Minister tell us if some of those employed were without degrees?
I have already stated that the qualifications required every year were satisfied this year. There were as many people with degrees this year as any other year. I should point out to Deputies that superintendents are never required to have degrees. The examiners this year had the same qualifications as they had in other years.