Written Answers Nos. 283-300
283. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria that will be used to decide whether to proceed with the leaving certificate in the coming months; the circumstances in which he will be satisfied that it is safe to run the leaving certificate; and his plans to ensure that notice will be given in order to allow for study. [6400/20]
View answerAny decision to run the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations at a date in the future will be guided by public health advice at that time. My Department will engage with relevant stakeholders to assist with the development of plans for the running of the examinations in an environment that may require social distancing and other measures. The safety of students and staff will be the most important consideration.
286. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to ensure that students who have received a conditional offer of a place at a university in Britain or Northern Ireland through the UCAS system will not lose that place and that offers will still stand; and the way in which he plans to achieve this outcome. [6403/20]
View answerI am very conscious of the thousands of students taking the Leaving Certificate who have applied to study in Northern Ireland, Britain, Europe and elsewhere.
On 8th May I announced that the Leaving Certificate was to be postponed and that students would be issued with calculated grades, which would form the basis for entry to third level. While timelines for the issuing of these grades are still being worked through, the plan is that calculated grades will be provided to candidates as close as possible to the normal results day, which will facilitate timely entry into third level courses both in Ireland and in other countries. The date for the release of grades will be communicated to students as soon as it has been finalised.
I have spoken directly to the Secretary of State for Education in the UK Gavin Williamson MP to discuss this matter and I have written to both Ministers in Northern Ireland with responsibility for Education to highlight this issue.
Last Monday, 18th May, I participated in a video conference with my fellow EU Ministers for Education on the impact of Covid 19 throughout all Members States' education systems. These discussions were well aligned with the engagements I have had with the UK - namely, the reopening of education and training settings, and encouraging flexibility in the higher education system in terms of registration and admission of school leavers and possible delays in the publication of their school terminal examinations results. I was encouraged that all Ministers emphasised the need for flexibility and were advocating for solutions to be found that are in the best interests of our students.
288. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the situation facing persons who are seeking to become teachers and who, in order to further this objective, have repeated subjects such as, for example, Irish, having completed the remainder of the leaving certificate in another year; and if the calculation of their grade will be considered acceptable to admit students to teacher training courses in such circumstances. [6405/20]
View answerOn 8th of May, 2020, I announced the postponement of the 2020 Leaving Certificate examinations until a later time when it is safe to run the examinations. This decision was taken by Cabinet based on public health advice as the welfare of students and that of their families is front and central to all decision making.
Leaving Certificate candidates can now opt to have calculated grades issued to them in order to facilitate their progress to third-level education in 2020. The plan is to provide calculated grades to candidates as close as possible to the normal results day.
All candidates will also have an opportunity to sit the Leaving Certificate Examination at the earliest, safest and practical time to do so. The State Examinations Commission will set about putting the detailed arrangements for these examinations in place, guided of course by health advice.
I am aware that there are candidates who are repeating a Leaving Certificate subject/s in order to satisfy a minimum entry requirement for entry to a 3rd level programme of initial teacher education. For those candidates who are studying one or more subjects outside of a recognised school, my Department will be flexible in accepting estimated marks and rankings from other schools or colleges, and will look at this issue on a case-by-case basis.
In general, I can say that, provided that my Department can receive an estimated mark and ranking from a teacher in a way that is fair to all candidates, my Department will seek to provide a calculated grade. This calculated grade can then be used in the same way as a Leaving Certificate grade to satisfy minimum entry requirements for entry to an initial teacher education programme. My Department will continue to keep the matter under review.
289. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the situation that applies in respect of students who are not classed as independent and whose parents are temporarily unemployed due to Covid-19 related circumstances but do not know if they will be taken on again such as, for example, in the bar or retail trade; and if persons in these circumstances will qualify for the change of circumstances clause. [6406/20]
View answerStudent grant applications for academic year 2020/21 will be assessed based on income earned in 2019.
However, if a student or party to their application experiences a change in circumstances that is not a temporary change and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future they can apply to have their application assessed under the change in circumstances provision.
In the case of a change of circumstances all household income, and not just the income of the person experiencing the change, will be assessed/reassessed on the basis of the current year (2020). The change of circumstance is not applied retrospectively. Therefore, if the change occurs during the academic year, any award or adjustment will take effect from the month in which the change occurred. This provision may benefit some students whose income has fallen in 2020 due to Covid-19 issues.
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. Should a student wish to discuss their particular circumstances with SUSI, the Support Desk may be contacted by telephone 0761 087 874 or email: support@susi.ie
Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists full-time and part-time students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended. Institutions have the autonomy to maximise the flexibility in the Student Assistance Fund to enable HEIs to support students during the COVID-19 situation.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from students’ local Tax Offices or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie
290. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is taking steps to ameliorate the stress facing leaving certificate students by seeking to expand the number of places at third level in view of the reduction in the number of international students seeking to study here. [6407/20]
View answerWe understand that this is a time of uncertainty for students hoping to progress to third level and work is ongoing in ensuring that the third level entry process can progress as smoothly and equitably as possible. The National Co-ordination group for tertiary education is meeting on a regular basis, and is closely monitoring the impact that Covid-19 is having on third level institutions and their current and prospective students.
In light of the current public health circumstances, it is difficult to predict the expected international student numbers for next academic year. Much depends on unfolding events such as all available national and international public health advice, particularly in respect of international travel for programmes where a physical presence in Ireland is needed.
Higher education institutions are autonomous with regard to management of their academic affairs including admissions procedures. The CAO processes applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on behalf of the HEIs. Decisions on admissions are made by the HEIs which then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. This remains the case this year, including in the case of any drop in domestic or international enrolments.
291. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the paper produced by an association (details supplied) regarding the severe financial position faced by universities and other third level institutions; and his views on whether dedicated sustainability and growth funding is needed for the sector. [6408/20]
View answerI have received the paper referred to by the Deputy and I will respond directly to the association in relation to the issues raised.
Significant work has been undertaken by a stakeholder group chaired by the Higher Education Authority and including the representative bodies for the universities (IUA) and the institutes of technology (THEA) to collect information on the increased costs and projected income losses advised by HEIs arising from the crisis based on an agreed set of assumptions. The HEA are co-ordinating the impact on financial and operational landscape for each HEI to establish if the viability of institutes is as risk. This report will be submitted to DES for consideration. Additionally a group chaired by the Department of Education and Skills has also been established with the key stakeholders to examine the impact of and plan responses to the projected impact of Covid19 on international students numbers.
The projected financial impact of Covid19 on Higher Education and the Tertiary Education system as a whole is being assessed by the Department of Education and Skills as part of its ongoing analysis of the impact of Covid19 on the education sector overall. The provision of additional financial support to support Tertiary Education to ensure that it can contribute fully to economic recovery and to meeting priority skill needs will be examined in the context of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy. The Department will continue to engage with key stakeholders to safeguard the recovery of the tertiary education sector.
My Department held a recent meeting with DPER to discuss the potential impact of COVID on the Tertiary Education Sector. The Higher Education sector is a key element of the economy’s economic and social infrastructure which also has a crucial role in recovery in supporting economic and social recovery. The priority is to seek to safeguard that capacity against the backdrop of the broader economic crisis by ensuring that core provision is maintained and in particular by assessing the level of financial vulnerability that may threaten the viability of any specific HEI. This aligns with the key principle of Government’s approach to Covid-19 which is to seek to support financially stressed entities reflecting Covid impacts across all sectors of the economy where viability is at risk. Insofar as higher education research is concerned, the Department will continue to engage with DBEI and key funding agencies to respond to specific queries.
In addition, a review is currently underway under the European Commission DG Reform’s Structural Reform Support Programme on Increasing the Future Sustainability of Higher and Further Education Provision in Ireland. The review encompasses the review of the funding options for higher education included in the 2016 (Cassells) Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding of Higher Education. The study is scheduled to be substantially complete in Q4 2020.
293. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the impact that recent events have had on fifth year students; and the steps being taken to support them. [6410/20]
View answerSince the announcement in March that schools would close and the subsequent extensions of that closure, I and my Department have made it clear that teachers and other staff in the education sector would continue to work and to engage with their students. My Department has written to school management and asked schools to put in place arrangements to continue the delivery of education to students. A series of guidance notes to support schools in how to effectively support and engage with their students continues to be compiled to address challenges in providing programmes of continued learning in the current context.
School and college buildings since May 18th are available for access by teachers to facilitate the organisation and distribution of remote learning.
Specific guidance on the continuity of schooling for primary and post-primary schools issued on Thursday 2nd April. Further guidance issued on 22nd April, with a particular focus on supporting students with special educational needs and students at risk of educational disadvantage. These guidance documents are available on my Department’s website.
The guidance is informed by feedback from school surveys and prompted by a growing demand in some schools seeking such guidance. The reaction from schools is that this material is particularly useful as they navigate the challenges associated with the new teaching and learning environment that has emerged through enforced closures of schools during the public health crises.
The nature of distant learning has required schools to take on a range of approaches to support their students. Schools and teachers have demonstrate great innovation in adapting to the new situation. Many schools are using digital resources and remote teaching as well as communicating with parents through email and digital apps to provide work for students. The Department is aware that many schools are using e-platforms to enable their teachers to provide work to students, particularly to students in examination classes, and to enable students to complete tasks and tests for assessment.
Resources to support the transition to distant learning are being provided by the Department support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST),. Scoilnet the Department’s educational portal provides access to a wide variety of resources and information developed by various services including: the PDST, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), the National Council for Special Education. These resources can all be accessed at https://www.scoilnet.ie/support/. Scoilnet also provides access to extensive educational resources including Worldbook Online, at www.scoilnet.ie
As part of the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessment, funding of €210m for ICT Infrastructure will be distributed to schools over the five years of the Strategy. €110m has issued over the lifetime of the strategy to date. €50m is issuing now in the form of a grant payment to all eligible schools.
In the context of the current public health crisis the funding can be focussed on assisting schools to address ICT needs to support the provision of remote learning. This can include the purchase of ICT devices that can be shared with students who do not have access to devices, essential learning platforms and other ICT infrastructure to support the provision of remote learning.
The Department will continue to work with the education partners to provide solutions in areas where digital and remote learning options may not be possible.
In the context of planning for a return to school which is underway, I expect those going into sixth year in post primary schools to be a group that will receive a particular focus in the context or preparations for the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2021.
294. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will seek to expand places on the higher education access route, HEAR, and disability access route to education, DARE, schemes in view of the impact of recent events in order to ensure that the impact on students who suffer from disadvantage is minimised. [6411/20]
View answerThe HEAR and DARE schemes are operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. As such, the Department of Education and Skills has no role in the policy criteria of the scheme.
Admissions under the HEAR and DARE scheme are regulated by the higher education institutions themselves. Each institution determines its own admissions policy in relation to the schemes, the number of places they reserve and the allocation of those places.
Applications to both schemes are submitted to the Central Applications Office (CAO) who coordinate the scheme for participating institutions. All enquiries should be directed to the CAO, www.cao.ie
295. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will seek to expand access to SUSI, increase the amount of the grant and reduce income thresholds in order to ensure that the impact of recent events on disadvantaged students will be minimised. [6412/20]
View answerI am conscious of the difficulties being experienced by students and their families as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and of the importance of the Student Grant Scheme and related supports, such as the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. These supports have a fundamental role in assisting families who are putting their children through further and higher education.
Accordingly, the following arrangements have been put in place:
Student grant payments for academic year 2019/20 will continue as normal. The duration and value of the grant will not change.
Student grant applications for academic year 2020/21 will be assessed based on income earned in 2019.
If a student or party to their application experiences a change in circumstances that is not a temporary change and is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, they can apply to have their application assessed under the change in circumstances provision of the relevant Student Grant Scheme. Following such a review, the applicant may fall within the thresholds to become eligible for grant assistance or be entitled to an increased rate of grant or the special rate of grant.
The Student Grant Scheme provides for different levels of income thresholds where families have (i) less than 4 dependent children (ii) between 4 and 7 dependent children and (iii) 8 or more dependent children. In recognition of the additional cost to families where more than one person is attending college, income thresholds may also be increased by up to €4,830 for each additional family member attending college at the same time. In this way, the Student Grant Scheme is responsive to the individual circumstances of particular families.
The income threshold for the special rate of grant has been increased from €24,000 to €24,500 for the 2020 scheme, so as to ensure that students from families dependent on welfare will continue to be eligible for the special rate of grant. (This reflects the Budget 2019 increase to the maximum point of the weekly State Contributory Pension, plus maximum Qualified Adult Allowance for a person over 66 years).
The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards the rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. The total allocation for the SAF is €9.1 million which includes an additional €1m added to the Fund in 2017 for part-time students who are lone-parents or members of the other access target groups. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only.
In December 2018 a further €1 million was added to the Fund for students attending Professional Masters of Education courses, who are experiencing financial difficulty. This funding continued into 2019 and 2020. Institutions have the autonomy to maximise the flexibility in the Student Assistance Fund to enable HEIs to support students during the COVID-19 situation.
The Deputy will appreciate that the funding allocation for the student grant scheme and the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) is determined in the context of the overall estimates and budgetary process undertaken by all Government Departments. However, all proposals made in relation to education expenditure will be considered in the context of Budget 2021, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the education sector.
In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student’s local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website, www.revenue.ie
296. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to support children who are finishing primary school during and transitioning to secondary school at this time. [6413/20]
View answerMy Department is working on supporting schools to help learners as they transition from primary to post primary education.
Guidance has already issued to schools to help ensure the continuity of teaching and learning, to support those with Special Educational Needs, those in areas of educational disadvantage, and to help support the wellbeing of all learners. Guidance will issue shortly which will include information to support learners at each of the key stages of transition. The aim of the distant learning approaches set out in this guidance is to ensure that children stay connected with learning to facilitate progression to the next level of their education.
School communities have been learning to adjust and adapt to the challenges they face at this time and have taken up the challenge of staying connected with their students for teaching, learning and maintaining the social connections and supports that are so important for young people’s wellbeing.
I am aware that transitions across all areas of schooling are a key concern for educators, parents and pupils, and that the end of school reporting is more important than ever for the transition between primary and post primary school.
Circular 26/2011 requires at the end of the school year that schools report on four areas:
- the child as a learner
- the child’s personal and social development
- the child’s progress with learning in curriculum areas or subjects
- next steps in the child’s learning, including ways for parents to help
The NCCA Education Passport was developed to ensure a smoother transition for learners between primary and post primary schools. Since 2014/15, schools are required to use the NCCA Education Passport materials (available at www.ncca.ie/transfer) to support the reporting and transfer of pupil information at the end of sixth class. Primary schools should ensure that an Education Passport for each pupil is completed and sent to the relevant post primary school following confirmation of enrolment and, ideally, by the end of June.
In addition, the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) in my Department has recently issued guidance for Primary Schools in relation to 6th class pupils who are due to transition this year. We know that for these for pupils the typical ceremonies, rites of passage, milestones, and social interactions have all been affected. The guidance for schools, outlines what can be done to support pupils at this time of transition. The guidance recognises that some pupils may need more preparation in advance of the transition, for example, pupils with Special Educational Needs; pupils whose families have been recently bereaved and pupils from vulnerable families. Schools are encouraged to ensure an effective two- way communication system is in place for parent/guardians so that they can clarify any queries they may have. Schools are advised that it is essential to communicate with the receiving post primary school.
In addition to the guidance, NEPS psychologists continue to be available to provide advice and support to school principals, teachers and school communities. NEPS is proactively exploring a number of innovative ways to continue to provide educational psychological services to school communities at this time.
My department is continuing to review and monitor the situation in accordance with the advice from public health authorities and will continue to issue advice and guidance to schools as appropriate.
300. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the discussions he has had regarding end-of-year examinations for people in third level courses, particularly those due to complete their courses in 2020. [6449/20]
View answerHigher education institutions are autonomous bodies and as such are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes. Therefore responsibility for examinations and assessments rests ultimately with each individual institution.
The national co-ordination group for tertiary education, which includes representatives from my Department and third level institutions, is meeting regularly to discuss key issues in the tertiary sector including issues around examinations and assessments.
The challenging circumstances that students are facing are being taken into account in the design and marking of revised assessments. Institutions will be ensuring that students suffer no academic disadvantage, with flexible arrangements in relation to exam formats, marking and re-sits. At the same time, HEIs are ensuring that the assessment methods being used will satisfy the requirements of professional/accrediting bodies and external examiners, so that the integrity of the assessment process will not be compromised, thus maintaining confidence and transparency in the quality of the qualification.
