Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 15 Feb 1995

Vol. 449 No. 2

Written Answers. - Leaving/Junior Certificate Fees.

Tom Moffatt

Question:

56 Dr. Moffatt asked the Minister for Education if she will consider the abolition of the junior certificate fee of £41 and the leaving certificate fee of £44, in view of the fact that this money is collected in December and January at a time when those families who suffer disadvantage have the least possibility of paying. [3469/95]

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

It is not my intention to grant a general exemption from examination fees for the 1995 certificate examinations.

Examination entry fees for school candidates for the certificate examinations are due in my Department on 1 February in the year of examination.

My Department operates a number of measures in order to alleviate hardship arising from the payment of examination entry fees.

In the case of necessitous pupils, the ordinary fee payable may be reduced at the discretion of the school principal and subject to a maximum notified to each school or vocational education committee by my Department. My Department has made £400,000 available to schools and vocational education committees for this purpose in connection with the 1995 examinations. This amount is greater than the amount allocated in 1994 by 1.5. per cent, the estimated increase in candidature. There has been no increase in the rates of examination entry fees since 1994.

The amount allocated to each school or committee in respect of 1995 fees has been based on the results of a questionnaire on hardship issued to schools in 1994. Allocations have been increased or reduced, taking into account the particular circumstances in each school.

School authorities are advised that, for the purposes of fee alleviation, a necessitous pupil may be defined as a child from a home where genuine hardship exists because of

unemployment

prolonged illness of parent

large family with inadequate means

single parent

more than one child from the same family doing the certificate examinations

other circumstances that would connote a similar degree of domestic financial hardship

In addition, in the case of a candidate who remains at school to repeat the leaving certificate examination and whose parent or guardian is the holder of a current medical card the course fee of £100 is waived and the examination entry fee is reduced from £120 to a maximum of £44, (the ordinary leaving certificate fee payable by first-time candidates).

Finally candidates who are not attending school may enter personally for the leaving certificate examination under the provisions for admission of external candidates. The ordinary fees payable by external candidates are reduced, where the candidate is the holder of a current medical card or is dependent on a parent or guardian who is the holder of a current medical card, as follows. £44 to £18, for one subject; £88 to £33, for two subjects; £132 to £44, for three or more subjects.

I should add that examination entry fees cover only part of the cost of running the certificate examinations. It is expected that about £6 million in fees will be collected in respect of the 1995 examinations but the cost of running the examinations will come to about £13 million.