I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to raise this issue, which is causing extreme concern. Essentially, this is the thin edge of the wedge. Under pressure, the Government has not been willing to defend its examinations system and put in place a system which will have the confidence of students and parents alike. The Minister has decided instead to downgrade the correcting of examination scripts by engaging third level students who do not possess the necessary sensitivity or experience of dealing with subjects. Everyone knows that it takes years to gain the experience and skills necessary to evaluate examination scripts fairly. One cannot adequately coach an undergraduate or post-graduate student to do this in a few hours. In adopting this approach we will effectively have correction by numbers in the same way as we used to have painting by numbers. It will be very basic and will undermine the possibility of students indicating that they have grasped a subject fully and receiving proper credit.
It is disappointing that in trying to defend it the Minister has suggested that it is all right to adopt this approach as it will only apply to civic, social and political education, a subject that is badly needed. Public confidence in the civic, social and political systems is at an all-time low. Students should be properly familiar with such important and crucial issues as the political system dealing with the problem of refugees. It is, therefore, irresponsible for the Minister to suggest that this is a doss subject which can be corrected in any way he chooses. He is setting back the education system and the careful work done by teachers and the curriculum board in putting this subject together to ensure students receive a grounding in a wider range of subjects.
I worry that home economics will be next to be followed gradually by others. It should not be forgotten that one in five students will only sit the junior certificate examination. It is their passport to advancement. For the Minister to downgrade the correction of that examination in this way is a slap in the face for them. I almost find it incomprehensible that in the face of demands to change the structure of the examination so that it is based on project and teamwork throughout the school year rather than memory retention in order to broaden the opportunity to learn – many of those who comment on the education system have been crying out for this – the Department has insisted on the terminal examination approach, but when it comes to the acid test it is not willing to provide the necessary resources to ensure it is corrected fairly and properly by those who possess the required experience and competence.
This is a very disappointing day for the education system. It is a pity the Minister is not present to account for his stewardship. It seems that he is happy to talk about the matter on radio but is not willing to come into the House to defend the indefensible. I have no doubt that the Minister of State, who is in an unenviable position, will read a supplied script about invigilation procedures and the various checks and balances but the reality is that if one does not have experienced teachers – the Minister of State is an experienced teacher – one will not have the breadth of testing and examining required. This is particularly true in subjects such as civic, social and political education in which one is required to draw on one's experiences and on what one has picked up from newspapers. This cannot be reduced, as the Minister suggested, to simple options such as, "Who is the President of Ireland? Is it Mary McAleese or Bertie Ahern?" The Minister is trivialising an important issue.
I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to raise the issue. I hope the Minister of State will give us the benefit of her experience in delivering the supplied script.