The first round of CAO offers, published this morning, signals the end of the points race as we have known it for two decades. With the notable exception of medical and paramedical courses, points have tumbled across the board.
The requirement for a Level 8 honours degree in arts in UCD - the most popular undergraduate course in the State - has dropped to 350 points. At NUI Galway, the arts requirement is down by no less than 25 points to 350 points. The downward momentum in points is evident across a broad range of courses in business, computers and science. At UCD, points for law (at 495) are less than 500-plus for the first time in 20 years.
What we are seeing is nothing less than a reversal of the situation begun two decades ago when a huge and growing band of students feverishly sought highly-prized places at third level. The situation has been transformed. Fewer and fewer students are chasing more and more places in the universities, the institutes of technology and the other accredited colleges. Today, it is often the colleges which are desperately seeking out students to fill their places. This picture could scarcely be better for the class of 2006, who can look forward to continued employment opportunities, though worrying questions have been raised recently about employment opportunities for highly-qualified science graduates.
That said, there are some disturbing trends in today's figures. The relatively low level of points required for many science, technology and computer courses reflects a low level of demand among students. Government, industry and indeed teachers have been doing their best to cajole students into these key areas, but their exhortations have had little impact. Against this background, the proposal for a bonus points system made by the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin, last week, is well-judged and timely. The Minister wants third-level colleges to give additional CAO points to students with good Leaving Cert grades in maths and/or science - if they pursue a college course in these general areas. This is a sensible idea which would help to draw some of the best and the brightest to the maths and science area. But the colleges themselves need to take a lead here. To its credit, the University of Limerick already offers bonus points for maths. Other colleges, instead of waiting on a proposal from the Higher Education Authority or the department, should be much more proactive in this area.
Against a general background of falling points, the continued high requirements for medical and paramedical courses underlines the huge student demand in this area. The minimum points requirement for medicine is a staggering 570. The good news for many disappointed candidates this morning is that the new postgraduate training scheme will be in place by the time they graduate, providing them with an alternative route into medicine. The Government should move to introduce postgraduate training options in other paramedical courses also to help ease the points pressure.