The events in St. Laurence's College, Loughlinstown, County Dublin, yesterday, where the leaving and junior certificate examinations were disrupted by a fire, are deeply disturbing on two specific counts. First, the reported difficulties with regard to evacuating students from the examination hall are deeply disturbing. Second, there was evident confusion about the manner in which the students in question, particularly the leaving certificate students, are now to have their results tabulated and reported. Both matters are very serious.
The question marks over the evacuation of the examination hall must be investigated and answered quickly. There must be a full examination of the facts and any deficiencies resolved. The matter can be resolved by the local fire service and I have no doubt that the Minister and his Department will ensure this happens.
The issues relating to the examination itself, however, must be resolved by the Minister and his Department. On the basis of the facts as reported today, this incident has illustrated an incredible lack of contingency planning in the examination system. The reports today certainly came as a surprise to me. It is simply incomprehensible that the best the Department of Education and Science could do yesterday, when faced with distressed students and distraught parents, was to suggest that the students in question should hang around for a few hours and perhaps continue their disrupted examination if another venue could be found, but only if all the students decided to do so. The alternative was to accept a rather ludicrous proposition that the students in question would be awarded a mark conjured up from work they had done in the past year outside the examination process. As a university examiner and parent, I submit that this is totally unacceptable. The parents of students in my constituency who have discussed their children's situation with me find it unacceptable. The Department in circumstances such as this, should surely have a contingency arrangement which would provide for students to sit a supplementary examination held on a separate date. Anything less would be monstrously unfair to the students and parents who have already suffered disruption during the school year.
Leaving certificate students are presenting for the most critical examinations of their lives. Many of the young men and women who presented at this school yesterday were doing so for the second time. They were seventh year students who have retaken the leaving certificate with many taking only six subjects with a view to gaining the necessary points for admission to specific courses in university. It would be absolutely unjust and unthinkable that they should be denied a full opportunity. To give these students a mark for work completed outside the examination system without them being in examination mode would be unjust and unfair.
I know the Minister to be a fair, just and reasonable man. I am sure he shares all my concerns and I hope his reply is that a contingency arrangement will be available to the students who will be able to sit a supplemental examination.
