Madam, - Under Mr Dempsey's new proposals for entry to medical school, tens of thousands of UK students will be eligible for entry, since three mediocre results in A levels will now qualify them to sit the Irish aptitude test.
Based on this year's Leaving Cert results about 10,000 Irish students would be eligible to sit the aptitude test for the few available places. Students from every EU state have full entitlement to the same free university education as Irish students. Our current high entry standards is the only obstacle they face.
Watch out for the budding entrepreneur who will be running courses all over Britain and the rest of Europe to coach them on the aptitude test. I predict that under such a system even fewer Irish students will get into medical school but the real high achievers will still have the option of going to the UK.
What a harebrained idea! Even the so-called expert committee must be surprised at the level of ministerial backing for such a flawed concept. - Yours, etc.,
JOHN JENNINGS, Ballycarney, Co Limerick.