An investigation is being carried out by the Department of Education into allegations that a Leaving Certificate chemistry examiner, who is also a teacher, helped some of his students to get a higher mark than they were entitled to.
The Minister, Mr Martin, said in a statement last night that if this inquiry established irregularities he would send the report to the Garda Siochana for further action.
The allegation concerns a teacher in a Dublin "grind" school who suggested to some of his part-time students that they put a particular symbol on their chemistry exam papers to bring it to his attention when the papers were being marked. Department sources emphasised that the chances of an examiner who was also a teacher marking a paper of any of his own students was extremely slim. However, it was conceivable that so-called "external" students, who study for the Leaving Cert at grind schools, might return to sit the exam at their home school in a different part of the country, and the papers could end up being marked by an examiner who had also taught them. The Department's Examinations Branch in Athlone is now going through Leaving Cert chemistry scripts to see if the alleged symbol did appear on any of them.
There is already anecdotal evidence that it did.
If this is found to be the case, the examiners will check the relevant papers to see if they have been marked dishonestly.
A Department spokesman said this would be known by next week, and if any papers had been marked dishonestly, the matter would be referred to the Garda.