Jess Casey: A year on, what have we learned from the school closures? 

Just over a year ago, the concept of nationwide remote learning was completely alien. Since then, students have spent roughly 80 days in the classroom

Holly Moriarty at Mercy Mounthawk School, Tralee, Co Kerry. Picture: Domnick Walsh

A year ago, the prospect of school and college closures and a total transition to remote learning was an alien concept here.

Last February, before the first case of Covid-19 was recorded in Ireland, news reports from China revealed the transformation in school life there. Some 200m students started attending school online in February 2020 after schools closed indefinitely.