THE RATE of first-class honours degrees awarded by most Irish universities has increased by more than 100 per cent since 1994, according to an unpublished study.
The study shows an increase of more than 700 per cent in the number of firsts awarded by NUI Maynooth over this period.
Substantial increases were also evident at UCC (up 174 per cent); Trinity College Dublin (up 126 per cent); NUI Galway (115 per cent); and University of Limerick (up 107 per cent).
The internal study compiled for the University Council at Trinity College also points to a parallel fall in the number of pass degrees awarded. There has been a 180 per cent decrease in the number of such degrees awarded by Trinity in the period from 2005-2008.
The Trinity study uses figures compiled by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which have also been made available to the current Department of Education investigation into grade inflation.
Preliminary results from the department’s inquiry into grade inflation will be published this week, possibly today. The inquiry was ordered by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe after US multinationals – including Google and Intel – raised concerns about declining standards.
Yesterday, Mr O’Keeffe indicated that some US multinationals appear reluctant to accept graduates from some colleges because of a perceived lack of quality.
In education circles, this is seen as a reference to some institutes of technology, but the Minister refused to identify the college or colleges in question. He was not interested, he said, in a witch-hunt. Instead, he wanted to urge colleges to raise their academic standards.
While the Trinity study points to serious grade inflation in the university sector, it is understood the forthcoming Department of Education report suggests the problem may be even worse across the institute of technology sector.
The report will also point to grade inflation in Leaving Cert grades between 1992 and 2004, but it concludes the problem has stabilised since then.
The Trinity study concludes that the proportion of Leaving Cert students achieving 500-plus points has increased by 124 per cent in the period 1995 to 2009. But the increase since 2005 is a more modest 6.25 per cent. The proportion of students achieving points in the 400-499 range increased from 15.5 per cent in 1995 to 21.5 per cent in 2009, representing an increase of over 38 per cent.
Last night, a leading campaigner against grade inflation said the various education bodies responsible for quality assurance were – like the financial regulators – guilty of the most serious oversight.
Dr Brendan Guilfoyle, of the Institute of Technology Tralee, said the State Examinations Commission, the Irish Universities Quality Board and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council had overseen a collapse in academic standards that threatened Ireland’s economic future. “There are clear parallels here to the banking crisis where the supposed regulators went missing,” he said.
Dr Guilfoyle is the co-founder of the Network for Irish Educational Standards, which has campaigned against grade inflation.
The group has been seeking updated exam results from various institutes of technology but several of these have been reluctant to provide any information.
The Trinity study, compiled by academic secretary Patricia Callaghan, says: “In stark terms, it could be concluded that the academic worth of a primary degree from Irish universities since 1994 has been devalued significantly. While the trend, especially in the period from 1994 to 2004 is worrying, it could also be explained, at least in part, by improved learning and teaching, and fairer and more transparent assessment regulations.
“Even allowing for these considerations, there is still the problem of employers [including academic institutions] being able to identify the best graduate.”
