Vol. 427 No. 8
3 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm that she has rejected the proposal contained in the Green Paper that examination results should be made public; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
It is my view on publication of examination results that, in the context of greater openness in the education sector, aggregate results of the certificate examinations on a national basis should continue to be published.
Aggregate data on pupil assessment is helpful in highlighting specific needs in the educational system, but I am opposed to the publication of individual school results. The publication of such results can be totally misleading as it would not take into account a variety of other important information such as previous attainment standards of the pupils, their socio-economic background and whether entry to the school initially was on a selective basis. A league table of results may only encourage some schools to engage in further selectivity at entrance levels and I am certainly not in favour of schools picking and choosing at entry.
I would consider the individual school results are a matter for discussion between the board of management of a school, the individual pupils concerned and their parents.
Would the Minister agree that she is reneging on the principle of transparency so emphasised in the Green Paper? Would she agree that her statement today is basically a reversal of the policy of her predecessor, who in the debate in this House on the Green Paper re-emphasised the importance of publishing schools results?
I do not have to remind the Deputies of the status of the Green Paper. It is a discussion document. Educational interests reacted negatively to so-called league tables, but it has opened discussion and has allowed people to appreciate the effect of publishing league tables. It would not be in the interests of any schools, whether they select pupils or take the children from their own parish, to publish league tables. I gather that the Deputy also finds the matter rather distasteful.
How does the Minister suggest that school performances should be measured?
We have been examining the prospect of assessment at primary school level. I am open to discussing my proposals in the matter. It might be helpful to have voluntary assessment at the end of first class and fifth class in primary schools. It would help teachers if they had an assessment process so that they could pinpoint the children who have not benefited from the first three years at school and if necessary at that early age they could seek the intervention of a remedial teacher or the psychological services. Assessment on completion of fifth class might also be useful to help teachers to pinpoint pupils who are not benefiting from the school system but who would in the last year of primary school be able to avail of the support systems there for their benefit.
I hope that the support mechanisms available in primary and secondary schools will encourage such pupils to stay on and find secondary schools relevant. This has nothing to do with the publication of examination results on a league table basis. I am interested in this process because I want all children to achieve their full potential within the school system.
