asked the Minister for Education the reasons for the proposed change in the system for the oral Irish examination in the leaving certificate to examinations carried out by teachers from the schools attended by the candidates; and if, in view of the fact that (a) this type of examination by the candidate's own teachers was discarded as unsuitable in the primary certificate examination and (b) university scholarships and other qualifications depend on the leaving certificate examination, he considers that this is a suitable method for such an examination.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Oral Irish Examination.
22.
While the marks in the oral Irish tests were until now awarded by my Department's inspectors, the tests themselves were carried out in each case in conjunction with a member of the school staff appointed for the purpose by the school manager. Having reviewed the procedure, I considered the time opportune for carrying the matter a stage further by entrusting the school authorities with the making of the initial assessment of the standard reached by their Leaving Certificate candidates. This assessment is to be subject to subsequent vertification by my Department's inspectors.
I am confident that the method of examination in question will prove entirely satisfactory.
Would the Minister say how the Department inspectors can test the fluency of those who present themselves for the Leaving Certificate examination?
The main function of the inspectors in an examination is to ensure uniformity of standard throughout the examination. I understand they intend to take samplings of the students already assessed by the school at the top level, perhaps in the middle and at the bottom of the lists supplied by the schools, examine these pupils and scale the whole school according to their reading of the standard as applied to the results given in the lists.
Is that done in respect of every school, every class?
Every Leaving Certificate class.
It would be unfortunate if any child who was brilliant was not taken as a sample.
If he is brilliant, he will be assessed by his own school accordingly.
He will get an average.
It is not an average. It is a scaling according to the national standard but the standardising will be done by the inspectors' re-assessment of the marks already given by the school.
It is very complicated.
They will be able to do it all right.
Will the Minister be good enough to say whether there were any prior consultations with the Headmasters Association before this system was introduced?
This was done in consultation with the headmasters.
I understood a headmaster to tell me he never heard a word about it until he was presented with the plan.
Not all the headmasters could be brought in but representatives of the various headmasters' bodies were in the Department of Education and discussed this new system with the officials of the Department.
I do not want to misrepresent the Minister but did they attend on the Minister in a representative capacity or did he merely take the expert view of individual headmasters? The case has been made to me that the scheme was presented to the headmasters who had no knowledge whatever of it until the scheme was actually formulated for implementation by them.
They were in, not with me, but with the officials of the Department. Five managerial associations were represented and agreed to this, I presume on behalf of their associations. I could not deal with the individual headmasters of every secondary school.
I know, but they were in a representative capacity?
Yes.
Not as individual experts but in a representative capacity?
Yes.
May we have this assurance from the Minister, that this will be kept under constant review and changed, if necessary?
This is something which is welcomed by the schools. It is a liberalising of the examination. I also intend that oral examinations be extended to the Intermediate Certificate and modern languages and we shall have to get a new system of doing it in co-operation with the schools if we are to make this extension over the next few years.