Give us the resources and forget the exams

MIGHT I suggest to Education Minister Noel Dempsey that while he considers it unnecessary to consult with teachers prior to introducing state exams for primary schoolchildren, he should at least consult his counterparts in Britain.

They are considering the abolition of such exams.

Mr Dempsey’s time would be far better spent planning the allocation of extra human and material resources to infant classes where very astute teachers can already supply him with the data he hopes to generate from state exams.