Sir, - The recommendations put forward by the Points Commission are to be welcomed. The proposal to reserve 5 per cent of places in third-level institutes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is long overdue and hopefully this quota will increase. One recommendation in particular will prove to be contentious. The Teachers Union of Ireland accuses the commission of not recognising the "daunting obstacle course" that students who do their exams through Irish have to face. If this is the case, then one has to question the educational value of a student undertaking such an encumbrance. I strongly support the teaching of Irish, but believe that its future success depends on our teachers' ability to foster a love for the language rather than subsidising students' exam results. By the time they reach their Leaving Certificate, students have received 12 years of tuition in Irish and are currently offered bonus marks to answer their exam papers through the language, yet only 3,000 choose to do so. Should they be offered more bonus points or should there be a radical review of the way we teach our national language?
The commission has made a wise decision in rejecting interviews and school references as a selection method for third-level applicants. In an interview, the impartiality of the interviewer will always be in question. Students speaking with strong urban or regional accents may/may not be discriminated against. School references issued from private middle-class schools may/may not be deemed "extra special" and, more importantly, the function of the teacher is to educate rather than act as a referee for a student with whom s/he may have some grievance. The fairness of the interviewer or referee cannot be guaranteed, but the points system ensures total objectivity and is certainly more favourable than the Eton-friendly UCAS system in the UK. The National Youth Council has expressed its disappointment with the rejection of the interview as a form of selection. However, this organisation, whose members are known to nobody but themselves and their parents, must realise that many students do not enjoy the same "gift of the gab" or "connections" which they possess. Thankfully, the Points Commission has seen the virtues of the present selection system and has recommended its retention. - Yours, etc.,
Raymond Tierney, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.