Vol. 537 No. 5
62 Mr. U. Burke asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress he has made in establishing a commission on teaching; the membership of the commission; the proposed terms of reference; and the proposed time scale for its work. [17080/01]
The commission on education and learning, which I initially proposed earlier this year, will have terms of reference covering a wide range of issues, including legal and management structures, developments in education and teaching, the role of the teacher, teacher training and accreditation, support systems for schools and teachers and lifelong learning.
The recent Labour Court recommendation also proposed that a forum be put in place to conduct an expert review of education. The court took the view, which I share, that, in the context of the changed and still rapidly changing educational environment, there is a need for a fundamental examination of all aspects of learning and teaching.
I will consult the partners shortly regarding the composition, terms of reference and time scale of the commission. It is my intention that the commission would be established as soon as possible. I will announce the membership of the commission at its establishment.
The Minister's answer is so vague that it begs the question of whether he has done anything regarding this long-promised commission. Since last October he has been telling the House that he has contingency plans for examinations in light of the threatened strike by ASTI members. This is the first opportunity the Minister has had to respond publicly to the unfortunate and tragic incident which occurred yesterday at a school in Dublin where students had to evacuate the examination centre. Neither the Minister nor the Department appear to have any contingency plans to deal with what is a crisis for many students. The geography examination—
We are wandering well outside the remit of this question.
We are, but the Minister said this is a review of education—
Question Time is an opportunity for the Deputy to ask a question, not to make a statement.
Will the Minister indicate what the leaving certificate students affected by yesterday's incident—
That matter does not arise on this question.
It is an issue for the students affected.
It may well be, but the Deputy should table a question.
The commission was promised as part of the proposed settlement of the ASTI strike. What efforts has the Minister made to progress the industrial situation which was the focus of the attention of parents, teachers and students from last September until recently?
I wonder where the Deputy was in the interim period.
I was not in south-east Asia like the Minister.
The Deputy may have realised that the Labour Court made a recommendation. We had to wait and see what would happen regarding the recommendation. It has been rejected by the ASTI which is not participating in the process.
The Minister allowed the situation to drift.
Please allow the Minister to answer.
The Deputy should allow me to answer, after which he can go on shouting.
I am not shouting.
The Deputy should let me answer, then he can shout all he likes. We are pressing on with this issue and the Deputy will hear about it very soon. We had to wait and go through those processes, but we are consulting the partners to finalise matters.
The other issue raised by the Deputy is not part of this question. However, as it has been raised I will comment on it. There are contingency plans for such situations, but this is not a simple matter. If, for example, we run another examination, students who sat the first examination will be concerned that other students will sit a second test.
Unfortunately it was not possible to go ahead yesterday with the original paper as some of the students who came out of the school saw books and notes, so they could not go straight back in. The situation is a little more complicated than the Deputy may realise.
There are no plans.
There are plans. I do not interfere with the setting of examinations or anything else. The chief examiner in each area has contingency plans. However, there are several kinds of plans. The problem is that some plans suit some people and not others. It is not simple.
A meeting will take place this evening in the Department with the chief examiners, chief inspectors and those involved. The integrity of the examinations is very important and must be maintained. I will leave it to the officials to recommend what should be done. They have ways of resolving these problems as they occur for different reasons in different places from time to time. These officials will recommend the best solution in these circumstances. I will wait and see what happens.
The meeting with the school authorities is planned for this evening in the Department and will finalise the alternative arrangements to be put in place, having regard to the integrity of the examinations, inter-candidate equity and the best interests of the candidates who were unable to continue with the examination yesterday afternoon due to the evacuation of the centre because of the fire. There are plans, but this is a difficult situation.
Question No. 63.
May I ask a brief supplementary question?
I am sorry, Deputy, but we have gone over six minutes on this question.
