Vol. 467 No. 1
9 Mr. Martin asked the Minister for Education if she will establish an independent State examinations appeals board that would deal with and process all applications for examination rechecks from candidates in State examinations and would deal with all queries from students, parents and schools concerning such examinations. [12820/96]
The Deputy will be aware that Price Waterhouse have been asked to conduct a review of the appeals procedures currently in operation for the leaving certificate examination. This is the first such external review of these procedures that have ever taken place. I should await its recommendations before deciding on any significant change to the present system of appeals.
I am disappointed at the Minister's reply. The purpose of the Price Waterhouse report was to investigate the errors discovered in the art examination last year where the practical work of 51 students went missing and this was not discovered, even at recheck stage. The purpose of my question was to ask if we should have an independent State examinations appeals board. The Minister should be in a position to give her views on this. With regard to the most recent development on the honours mathematics second paper, the Department issued a statement acknowledging the error in the paper, saying it will arrange to deal with the matter in the context of the marking of that paper.
There is no transparency in terms of how the Department will deal with an error of this type. How will the Department assess the impact on the students who sat the examination? What criteria will be used?
This is Question Time. The questions you have posed should be adequate for the time being. Let us have no statements or speeches.
Would the Minister not agree that an independent examinations board would provide a degree of objectivity and independence on matters such as this?
The terms of reference for the Price Waterhouse report included a review of the appeals procedures currently in operation with regard to all subjects for the leaving certificate examination and to make recommendations as appropriate. I commissioned this report and gave Price Waterhouse such terms of reference. It would be proper and expected of me to wait and consider any changes in the appeals procedure after the report has been submitted.
The purpose of the report was to investigate major errors that occurred last year. We are now well into the operation of this year's State examinations. The students sitting these examinations will not have the benefit of an independent examination appeals system given the length of time it has taken Price Waterhouse to carry out the Minister's request. It has taken far too long and it is wrong for the Minister to hide behind the report. Will she indicate when Price Waterhouse will have concluded its work?
We are dealing here with the rechecking of papers. Last year people got marks even after the recheck stage, despite the fact that 25 per cent of their papers went missing and were never found. This critical situation has led to the lack of public confidence in our system. Will any system be in place for the marking and rechecking of papers of students who are sitting this year's examinations?
In answering Questions Nos. 35, 43 and 56 today I will be informing the House that I received the Price Waterhouse report on the leaving certificate art examination last Friday. I am studying the report. There are constraints regarding the publication of the report in full but I intend to make the full report available to each Member of the Dáil and Seanad next week when the leaving certificate examination concludes.
It is important that we keep in mind that there is an appeals procedure in place with which the schools are familiar. It is one under which the scripts are fully rechecked where requests for appeals have been accepted.
They are not.
That appeals procedure is in place. I asked Price Waterhouse to examine the difficulties that arose out of the art examination last year and the mistakes that were made and to look not only at the appeals procedure for art or crafts but for all subjects of the leaving certificate. I look forward to receiving the report and to considering its recommendations. I commissioned the report. I gave Price Waterhouse the terms of reference with a view to retaining confidence in the examination system and to express our willingness to respond where human error has occurred. That is not unique to my term in the Department of Education.
Does the report in the Minister's possession deal just with the operational failures of last year or does it embrace recommendations in terms of the appeals system? If so, what are the recommendations?
I have already indicated that I will be making the full report available to each Member of the Dáil and Seanad next week following the conclusion of this year's leaving certificate examination.
Is there one report or two?
