“More than 65,000 college hopefuls applied the CAO ahead of reduced-fee deadline, about 900 fewer than at the same time last year. The CAO received 65,535 applications by 5pm January 20, compared with 66,457 on the same day in 2021. The comparable figures for 2020 and 2019 are 61,387 and 59,671 …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 20 January]
“Sir, – J Tidmore (Letters, January 19th) raises excellent points with respect to the Leaving Cert. While the circumstances of the past two years forced difficult, and perhaps unfair, compromises, we have surely reached a point where we have sufficient capability to revert to some semblance of normality …” (more)
[Letters, Irish Times, 20 January]
“When the Leaving Cert results and offers of places in colleges were released last September, there was a blizzard of criticism of the points system. This was odd because the problem at the time was caused by inflated grades produced by the school-based assessment system …” (more)
[John McAvoy, Irish Times, 18 January]
“Over the past two years, amendments have been made to the Leaving Certificate due to the disruption the Covid-19 pandemic has caused. In 2020, the exams were completely cancelled and students received accredited grades …” (more)
[Ciara O’Loughlin, Independent, 11 January]
“The Deputy President and Registrar of NUI Galway has said he would be in favour of students sitting traditional Leaving Certificate exams this year. Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh said he understood the pressures that Leaving Cert students are under and sympathises with them, but said he believes the hybrid system creates inequalities …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 11 January]
“Last year saw a significant increase in application numbers to the CAO, as almost 85,000 people sought a place in an undergraduate course in one of Ireland’s 40-plus third-level institutions. Half of the more than 5,000 additional applicants arose from the demographic increase in numbers of students in our second-level schools, a trend which will continue for a number of years to come …” (more)
[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 11 January]
“Fee-paying schools continue to dominate entry to college, but the second Covid-era Leaving Cert gave disadvantaged pupils a further CAO lift. Pupils in schools serving the most disadvantaged communities have benefited from the use of grades based on teachers’ estimated marks instead of, or alongside, exam results …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 January]
“Students from fee-charging schools are significantly more likely to progress to high points college courses, according to data compiled by The Irish Times. However, schools in disadvantaged areas – or Deis schools – have also performed strongly by sending high numbers of students to third level …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Éanna Ó Caollaí and Peter McGuire, Irish Times, 7 January]
“Sir, – Once again we appear to be going through the annual hand wringing exercise about the Leaving Cert (Letters, November 17th). This time however it may be preferable to consider the lessons of the pandemic, and avoid a clamour for solutions that increase rather than decrease the level of unfairness we subject second-level students to …” (more)
[Albert Winston, Irish Times, 19 November]
“Sir, – The Leaving Certificate is being examined by the Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education who have called upon senior academic and management heads to present their views. In their response the Irish Universities Association claimed the 2021 results raised considerable alarm among them with calls to ‘flatten the curve’ …” (more)
[Evelyn Mahon, Irish Times, 11 November]
“If you’re a student, parent or employer seeking urgent and sweeping changes to the Leaving Cert, then look away now. A major advisory report on proposals to reshape the senior cycle – due to be published by the Minister for Education shortly – advocates the kind of incremental reform that will likely take years to draw up, never mind fully implement …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 November]
“The Central Applications Office (CAO) points system will need to be revised to reflect a wider range of students’ skills and learning pathways, according to a major report on senior-cycle reform to be published shortly …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 8 November]
“Universities must review the CAO points system to ensure it recognises a wider range of students’ skills or risk losing public funding, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has warned …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 4 November]
“Irish language groups and students are seeking maths-style CAO bonus points for the highest-achieving students in Gaeilge as part of a new plan for the subject at Leaving Cert …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 3 November]
“Sir, – Jim Miley, director general of the Irish Universities Association, has described the current timing of Leaving Certificate results as ‘not fit for purpose’, due to the impact on CAO offers (‘Universities call for Leaving Cert results to be given in June’, Education, October 18th). I would suggest that the opposite is closer to reality …” (more)
[Colm O’Connor, Irish Times, 21 October]
“Universities say timelines for the release of Leaving Cert results are ‘no longer fit for purpose’ and want students to be issued their grades at the end of June, followed by college offers in July …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 October]
“Universities say timelines for the release of Leaving Cert results are ‘no longer fit for purpose’ and want students to be issued their grades at the end of June, followed by college offers in July. The Irish Universities Association – which represents eight of the largest universities – is also calling for an immediate end to ‘distorting’ grade inflation and a return to normal grade patterns …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 October]
“Homeschooled students have a constitutional right to be educated at home without ‘unwarranted interference’ by the State and their exclusion from the Leaving Cert 2020 calculated grades scheme breached that right, the Supreme Court has been told. Paul O’Higgins SC, for two homeschooled students, was making submissions opposing an appeal by the Minster for Education …” (more)
[Ann O’Loughlin, BreakingNews.ie, 13 October]
“Students will be able to choose between university and further education courses through a single CAO portal for the first time from next month. Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said the new service will broaden the conversation around career and study options beyond our current ‘obsession’ with higher education and the points race …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 13 October]
“The number of enrolments in higher education has increased by almost 17.5% over the past six years and new data released today by the Higher Education Authority reveals that more and more students are now achieving first class honours than before …” (more)
[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 11 October]
