Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education, Thomas Byrne, has written to the Minister for Education about the need to maintain the standards of openness, fairness and integrity when it comes to the state examinations.
Deputy Byrne made the comments following a recent survey conducted by the National Parents Council Post Primary (NPCPP) which raised serious concerns in terms of access to education as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
He explained, “The NPCPP survey represents the first quantitative survey of the experience of home schooling in Ireland. It makes a number of findings of deep concern including a large number of students who have not received feedback on their work from teachers, difficulties for students with special needs and a small number of students who have still not received any contact whatsoever from teachers.
“The most worrying of finding was that only 80% of students have access to a quality broadband connection. With schools likely to remain closed for a number of weeks and exams delayed, the impact of this digital divide will likely be most harshly felt by less well-off students and those in rural areas. Where is the fairness in that?
“It is vital that contingency plans deployed by the Department maintain standards which we have previously set out for students. Without them, we run the risk of fatally undermining the process.
“Despite asking many times, including in the weeks before schools were shut down, I am still not aware of how the Department is dealing with students with little or no access to broadband.
“Has the Department conducted its own analysis of the availability of broadband connections to pupils? What have they done to get it to students who don’t have it? Is the Minister satisfied that due consideration has been given to whether the Leaving Certificate will remain fair in light of the digital divide?
“The Minister needs to answer these questions for the 20% of students who are already at a massive disadvantage facing into their state exams,” he concluded.