Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 February 2021
161. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education when the minutes from the first meeting of the advisory group on planning for State examinations 2021, which took place on 25 November 2020, will be published. [7792/21]
View answer162. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education when the minutes from the second meeting of the advisory group on planning for State examinations 2021, which took place on 14 December 2020, will be published. [7793/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 162 together.
The planning work underway in respect of the State Examinations in 2021 is being assisted by an Advisory Group of key stakeholders which has met on a number of occasions in recent months. The Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations 2021 has been convened to advise Government on all of the various issues arising in relation to the holding of the 2021 examinations, including public health considerations and appropriate contingency measures. The Advisory Group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education, including the National Educational Psychological Service.
Details of the Advisory Group have been published, the webpage contains details on the purpose of the group, the terms of reference and the membership of the group. The webpage also includes a link to meeting documentation where minutes of meetings that have been agreed by the Advisory Group have been published. These details are available at www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/06f0c-advisory-group-on-planning-for-state-examinations-2021/.
Press releases regarding meetings of the group are available at www.gov.ie/en/publications/?q=&sort_by=published_date&type=press_releases&organisation=department-of-education.
In addition to the above, a subgroup of the Advisory Group was established to consider in greater depth issues relating to planning towards the 2021 examinations. The subgroup includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) and the Department of Education. Minutes of meetings of that have been agreed by the subgroup to the Advisory Group will also be published at the above link.
There has been ongoing stakeholder engagement in relation to the planning for the 2021 State Examinations, including this week, confidential bilateral meetings with the above stakeholders.
