Every year, my Department receives for examination more than 1.5 million scripts, practical pieces and other test products. It is not logistically feasible to facilitate the return of this quantity of examination material to candidates and, in the interests of fairness and equity, I could not return metalwork projects and retain material from art, engineering and other examinations. The examination material is removed from the Department each year for confidential disposal.
The optimum solution to the issues raised by the Deputy lies in realigning the assessment arrangements in subjects such as metalwork which generate artefacts. At present, the practical pieces in a number of subjects are examined in individual schools and consequently there are no logistical difficulties involved in returning the material. There are, however, short-term storage issues for the schools which make it difficult to expand the number of subjects where the schools retain the material to include subjects like metalwork.
I have requested my officials to review the arrangements in consultation with the relevant interests, including school management bodies, in order to progress these issues on a consensus basis.
Question No. 255 answered with Question No. 243.
