Madam, - The president of DCU makes a number of valid criticisms of the points system and its failure to meet national priorities.
It will be difficult to derive an alternative that will be fully beyond reproach, but another major disadvantage of the system is the encouragement of cramming in our second-level system, at the expense of educational ideals.
Your own newspaper has done a great disservice to second-level education by publishing rather meaningless "league tables" which often give high vantage places to cramming schools. Such tables may very well highlight the cherry-picking of students by schools and the training to optimise points, rather than the educational aspirations which should apply.
I agree that special measures are needed to redress disadvantage. National policy should seek to stem the trend toward elitism, to reduce the "market currency" aspect of the points system so well highlighted by Prof von Prondzynski and to put educational ideals for all at the centre of all three levels in our educational system. - Yours, etc,
JOHN MARKHAM, Greystones, Co Wicklow.