Sir, – The radical plan envisioned by our university presidents (“College entry reform to ease points race”, Front Page, December 31st) seems to me to defy logic.
The main purpose of the points system we have had was to cope with more demand than places for qualified applicants, and the high points for most courses are simply a reflection of the demand.
At least in Trinity College Dublin we have a mixture of omnibus entry courses with high numbers of places and other courses for which a demand has been identified. The quotas reflect the perceived capacity of the facilities and the staff to cater satisfactorily for the students we attract. Often small courses overlap in their delivery with others and the constraints are overall ones for the disciplines involved or for space. Indeed, many quotas have been increased in recent years in response to the construction of additional buildings providing additional space. Staff numbers have generally failed to increase and we struggle to provide students with the guidance they need to flourish in their chosen courses.
The proposed solution appears to be to offer less popular choices so as to dampen demand, rather than trying to provide for the demand.
In addition, we run the significant risk of admitting students who will not be able to pursue the direction they want (due to resource constraints), even though they are academically qualified to do so.
Readers may recall that the points systems was introduced about 40 years ago when numbers passing the premedical year exceeded the number of places on the medical course at UCD and elsewhere. The reform now proposed seems to me to be a return to a situation such as the one found to be undesirable then. – Yours, etc,