I was monitoring the debate on the junior certificate and I am very much with the teachers on this matter. I can bring a certain perspective to the debate because for many years I marked junior and leaving certificate examination papers at the highest level. It is a difficult job which requires a great deal of skill and training. If someone is a good teacher it does not necessarily follow that they will be a good exam marker. I knew many teachers who bailed out halfway through marking conferences in the Department's offices in Athlone because they realised it was not for them.

It is very unfair and a huge ask for teachers to be responsible for marking up to 40% of the total score of an individual pupil, without as much as a thought being given to how they should be trained for it and brought into the loop in terms of how one does these things. It is not as simple as a teacher saying, "I will give that pupil a 30% assessment mark and give this pupil something else." One must be able to prove and stand over it. It is a non-runner, especially up to a figure of 40%. I would like to see negotiations continuing between the Minister and the teachers. It is an issue that will not go away. For the overall good of and the integrity of the examinations system, I would like to see further change and, to say the least, a reduction in the percentage awarded in the teacher assessment in school.