State Examinations Commission

Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Questions (361)

Simon Harris

Question:

361. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether the State Examinations Commission's assertions that errors which appeared on State exam papers this year were attributable to a reduction in staff resources and experience in the State Examinations Commission; if he has discussed this matter with the chairperson of the commission; his views on whether such errors are acceptable; the actions that will be taken by his Department and the commission to rectify this issue for future State exams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38064/13]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

As the deputy is aware, the State Examinations Commission has reported to me on this matter. The SEC has undertaken to take the following steps:- take a more formalised approach to strategic work-force planning which will include an assessment of the risks associated with the loss of subject-specific examination expertise

- use a risk based approach to review the personnel structures and protocols for paper preparation for each subject so as to ensure that they are fit for purpose in the context of staffing and other available resources

- analyse all post print errors, including the detected errors highlighted by the SEC on the List of Corrections, with a view to identifying patterns and underlying causes

- use the information arising from this review to identify where procedures and protocols might be strengthened and/or the training needs of staff e.g. in areas such as proof reading and version control.

I expect a further briefing on this from the SEC shortly.

The SEC has acknowledged that errors may have caused confusion and distress for some candidates and has apologised publicly. The SEC took all necessary steps to mitigate the problem. The SEC has assured me that no candidates were disadvantaged as a result of the errors.