Plans to take responsibility for the operation of State exams away form the Department of Education took a further step this afternoon with the appointment of state examinations commissioners.
The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey named five commissioners who he hopes will begin their duties in time for the 2003 examinations.
The Minister announced that a statutory order establishing the State Examinations Commission will be brought before the Oireachtas in the new year. The Commission is intended to be a statutory body, separate from the Department of Education and Science.
"The establishment of a State Examinations Commission is a central element of a wide-ranging program of reform of educational delivery," Mr Dempsey said.
"The bottom line is that our system must be responsive to the needs of today's Ireland," he added.
- Mr Jimmy FarrellyChairperson (former Secretary General of the Dept of the Environment and Local Government)
- Ms Mary Bridget O'HaraDeputy Chairperson (former post-primary school principal)
- Mr Martin Newell(Secretary to the Central Applications Office)
- Mr Barry O'Brien(CEO, Co Cork VEC)
- Ms Dympna Glendenning(barrister, author and former primary school principal)