Students to appear before Petitions Committee to discuss adding 30 extra minutes to Junior Cert English exam

The Committee will hear from four students, led by Ms. Tara O’Sullivan, who submitted a petition on adding thirty extra minutes to the Junior Certificate English exam.

Ms. Tara O’Sullivan, Ms. Adrianne Ward, Ms. Ellen McKimm and Ms. Faye Dolan - all from Loreto College Dublin -will appear before the Committee to discuss the petition.

Committee Chair, Seán Sherlock TD, said, “Tomorrow’s meeting is an important one as the Committee will engage with Tara O’Sullivan on her petition seeking to add additional time to the Junior Cert English exam. This is the first occasion that this Committee has invited petitioners to appear before it. Tara and her secondary school classmates put considerable effort and time into crafting a petition which speaks for many school-goers around the country. The Committee first considered the petition in April of this year and we later called officials from the State Examination Commission and Department of Education and Skills to appear before us to discuss the matter. Tomorrow, Tara and the classmates who assisted her in drafting the petition will have their chance to make their case for adding additional time to the exam. The Committee welcomes the fact that the younger generation are actively engaging with the parliament on the issues that matter to them and we look forward to a productive discussion on this petition tomorrow.”

Watch proceedings live here