Tens of thousands of Leaving Certificate students will finally find out today how they have fared in this year’s exams. It is a big day not just for students and their families, but also for industry figures and policymakers who are eager to see what today’s results say about the quality of Irish school-leavers.
The headline figures show that students are, by and large, securing grades in similar quantities to previous years. The proportion of students securing honours grades at higher level in English, Maths and Irish is broadly similar to previous years. If there is a concern, however, it is the performance of students at ordinary level maths.
The numbers failing the exam at ordinary level are up from 5.8 to 9.2 per cent, or almost 3,000 students. This means they are, in effect, locked out of many third level courses which require a pass in maths as a basic entry requirement. These results pose fresh questions about the "Project Maths" reforms of recent years and, in particular, the quality of maths tuition in schools for lower- achievers. A system where so many are failing to reach their potential needs to be reviewed. The quality and quantity of graduates in this area is crucial if Ireland is to compete globally for jobs and investment.
On a positive note, it is expected that some 60 per cent of school leavers will go on to access higher education this year. This is a considerable achievement which reflects well on the education system and the aspirations of young people.
A record 80,000 people have applied for courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO), with spikes in demand in areas such as architecture, engineering and technology. A supply of skilled school-leavers and graduates is vital to filling skills gaps in these areas .
The increased numbers are a reminder of the urgent need to reform the funding system for higher education. After eight years of spending cuts, rising student numbers and falling numbers of academic staff, the sector is on the cusp of a financial crisis. The result has been a slow deterioration in the quality of the system.
High birth rates mean the numbers projected to progress to third level are set to rise by about a third over the next 15 years or so. The impact of Brexit could send these numbers even higher still as more students opt to stay at home rather than attending college in the UK.
An expert group chaired by Peter Cassells has warned that a new funding model is urgently needed as the existing system is not fit for purpose. The quality of the higher education system is vital to creating jobs, raising living standards and giving Ireland an edge in the global marketplace. If Ireland as a society, a State and an economy aspires to a quality third-level education, it needs urgently to grasp the nettle of how to fund it.
* The article has been amended to correct a factual error