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Sir, – The new foreign language strategy is to explore the potential of bonus points for languages for school-leavers planning to study languages ("Plan for more school pupils to study foreign languages", News, November 4th).
The recent policy statement on Stem (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects also sought to explore bonus points for Stem subjects for those planning to study for Stem awards.
In recent years some universities have wisely introduced broadly based first-year courses so that students can make later, better-informed decisions in relation to specialist subject choices.
The widespread introduction of bonus points, by inviting specialisation after Junior Certificate, would ignore the strength and purpose of the broad-based Leaving Certificate programme and would defeat the purpose of the progressive university initiatives in postponing specialist choices. – Yours, etc,
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SEÁN McDONAGH,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.