The Points Commission is to meet today to finalise agreement on its long-awaited report recommending radical changes to the system of entry to third-level education.
A draft report has been circulated among the body's 19 members calling for a range of measures to reduce exam stress and increase access to higher-level institutions for mature students and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A commission source said yesterday it was expected there would be "very little changes from the draft. It's virtually a done deal at this stage." The publication of the report is expected next month. The recommendations include setting quotas in all colleges for mature and disadvantaged students and penalties for repeat Leaving Certificate students, pointing to anomalies which give them advantages over first-time candidates.
Phasing out of bonus marks for answering in Irish and of high marks in certain subjects is recommended. One suggestion is that repeat Leaving Certificate students would have to re-sit core matriculation subjects, or have a downward sliding scale of points relating to the number of times the exam is taken. The draft report rejects the option of interviewing all candidates and advises against introducing aptitude tests.
In a previous draft report, made public in May, the commission supported extending the transition year programme to all schools and said the Leaving Certificate should test a wider range of skills.
The president of the National Youth Council of Ireland, Ms Jillian Hassett, urged publication of the report immediately, "to allow a debate begin in earnest". She said "initial reports are disappointing. It seems that students are being penalised for failings in the system".
The Minister of State at the Department of Education, Mr Willie O'Dea, welcomed the suggestion that colleges should set aside at least 15 per cent of places for mature students, who, he said, were needed to overcome skills shortages in the workplace.
Ireland has a relatively low proportion of mature students by European standards. A recent study showed only 56 per cent of first-year students in Irish colleges were aged over 23.
The number of 18-year-olds in universities, moreover, is projected to decline from 74,338 last year to 47,929 by 2012. Established in July 1997 by the Minister for Education and Science, the commission is chaired by Prof Aine Hyland of University College Cork. Its members include teachers, students and industry representatives.
