-----but it is going ahead.

As for what will happen in that regard, the teacher has the information, data and knowledge of the student and so will be looking to make an assessment. I will not pre-empt the decisions as to how that will happen because that will form part of the guidelines that will come out next week.

It has yet to be decided how that will happen but the project work, whether it is research or practical work, will be assessed by the teacher.

We will be looking at those on a case-by-case basis.

Nobody wants students back in the classroom more than me. One of the things we found out in the time since 12 March is that while online platforms work and are helpful, we are missing-----

That will be subject to public health guidelines and, at the moment, the public health guidelines are that schools open in September.

I do not agree with that assessment because there are many advocacy groups that work on behalf of these students. They have been very active and engaged with our Department. In fact, last week, when I met the children's ombudsman, he raised the issues of disadvantage, digital inequity and special needs. A lot of work is going on in that regard and we have a group in the Department looking at that specific area. We have guidelines out now as to how we can assist in that regard. The schools first closed for two weeks…

That issue was raised in the Dáil previously, and as I told the Deputy at that time, the Secretary General was engaging with the president of UL on it. Following that Dáil sitting, I contacted the chancellor and I know a meeting occurred. There has been no outcome, but the issue of paying back students was on the agenda, and as far as I know, the college has not made a decision on it as of yet.

I would like to respond to Deputy McNamara first, as this is important. I appreciate his intervention. The reason we need standardisation is that we cannot have a school in Bantry on a different platform from a school in Letterkenny. That is why we have it. There is an assumption that once this standardised model comes into place, maths scores, for example, within a school will be brought down. However, it is possible that maths could be brought up instead. It is not a question of teachers' marks for subjects being…

It is too early to speculate as to what it would look like but to reassure the House, the primary forum met this morning. It is very anxious to get this right. We will be working within public health advice and guidance but one thing is certain. We need to get students back in the classroom but at the heart of that is ensuring they will be safe.

Gabhaim buíochas le mo chomhghleacaithe uilig as an seans labhairt leo inniu faoi na príomhrudaí a bhaineann leis an oideachas. Ar dtús báire, ba mhaith liom focal pearsanta a rá leo maidir leis an chaidreamh dhearfach a bhí eadrainn thar na laethanta agus na seachtainí seo a chuaigh thart agus maidir leis an eolas, comhairle agus rudaí mar sin. Táim ag dúil go mór leis an díospóireacht inniu agus leis na moltaí a thiocfaidh amach as. Níl an léarscáil atá againn soiléir i gcónaí. Is dúshlán agus míbhuntáiste é sin …

That is all right.

Yes. I will be as brief as possible. I apologise for Deputy Byrne not getting the briefing. I will ensure that it happens. The clarity that was asked of me at the briefing on 1 April when we were all on a web conference was about whether the leaving certificate would be going ahead in June. The demand made of me that day was that clarity was needed ASAP, be that the next day or within a couple of days. I responded by giving that clarity and stating that the exams would not go ahead in June and would be postponed un…

The Deputy raised the issue of fees to be paid at the end of the month. We will extend that date until after the exams. This is only fair and I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. With regard to the structure and timetabling of exams, I have set up an advisory group to work on this. The advisory group has already met and will meet again tomorrow. It will meet twice a week. It comprises parent representation, students and unions. They are all around the table and they will work through how we do it. This will b…

On the first issue, that individual is one of 4,000 people who have applied to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is a major issue and that is why I picked up the phone to the Secretary of State for Education in London, Gavin Williamson. My Department's Secretary General is in contact with his counterpart in London as well, and I have written formally to the Northern Ireland Education Minister, Peter Weir, in regard to this issue. We need to find a solution because we are talking about 4,000 applican…

This is an incredibly important issue. Like the Deputy, I am getting a lot of direct contact, primarily from students but from some parents as well. There is much stress and anxiety. There is the shock that people are dealing with but there is also the shock of not knowing where we will be in September, October or November, never mind where we will be next week. There is uncertainty in terms of the overall pandemic but for students, and specifically leaving certificate students, we are going to announce formally in…

The significant dates are that the leaving certificate is to start on 29 July. We are working on the timetable, which is important. As outlined earlier, that is going to be tested through the advisory group in the context of how we work within the public health advice. The Deputy asked when that will be ready, and it will be in the first week of June. Tomorrow week is 1 May, so, four weeks after that there will be information on timetabling and the structure of the exams. The reason we are leaving it until the firs…

All the conversations we are having are through the dedicated advisory group. As recently as last Friday, the Irish Second-Level Students Union raised issues such as plan B and what are the contingencies, such as contingencies for sickness or bereavement. All of these pertinent questions are being asked. We are going to work on the contingencies and we will not go into this in a blinkered way because we are living in a real world of uncertainty.

Again, that is one of the questions to be explored by the working group. The group will be very busy. It will be meeting formally twice a week but there will be a constant conversation in between. Again, we are not - and, as Minister for Education and Skills, I certainly am not - going to put any student in jeopardy in terms of his or her health or healthcare needs. While the group works through the logistics of the exams, part of that mapping out will be the public health stipulations and criteria, which will be c…

The first point the Deputy raised was about additional needs and resource hours. We issued guidelines yesterday to all schools and principals to ensure that we connect with our most vulnerable students. That attention to detail will continue. Second, many of our SNAs have already been engaged in ensuring that continuity of connection between their students within schools. The feedback we are getting formally and also anecdotally is that that relationship is very strong but anything we can do to ensure there are add…