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CHANGES TO THE University application process for students from the north will make it easier for them to study in universities in the Republic of Ireland.
The changes follow a report by Universities Ireland, an organisation consisting of 11 university presidents on the island of Ireland and which promotes north and south cooperation.
The move follows criticism of how universities in the Republic treated A-level exams that are sat by students in the North.
A-levels are the equivalent of the Leaving Cert and usually students in the North undertake three A-levels – only around 3% of students opt to undertake four A-levels.
However, it was previously only possible for students in the North to achieve maximum CAO points if they sat four A-levels, one of which had to be maths.
While Maths is a core subject in the Leaving Cert, students in the North don’t have to study maths for their A-levels.
However, now students in the North will be able to achieve maximum CAO points without undertaking four A-levels.
The report’s recommendation must now be accepted by each University’s Academic Council.
Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said he hopes this revision will be in place for the students looking to start their studies in September 2024.
A Universities Ireland working group was established to look at the issue and its report was today accepted by Minister Simon Harris.
In its report, Universities Ireland noted that the number of students from the North who are enrolled in Higher Education Institutions in the Republic is “barely higher than the number who are domiciled in Co Leitrim”.
Only 0.6% of students in higher education in the Republic come from Northern Ireland, while in the North, 2.4% of students come from the Republic.
The report highlighted “Leaving Certificate and A-level equivalencies” are one of the “main inhibitors of movement from North to South”.
Additional factors were said to be overall cost of living differences between the two jurisdictions.
The new arrangements mean it will no longer be necessary for students in the North to take four A-levels – one of which must be maths – in order to achieve maximum points under the CAO system.
Rather, students in the North will be able to use their best three A-levels, along with a fourth A-level or an AS subject (A-levels take two years to complete, but an AS-level takes one year).
This will mean that applicants can attain a score of 600 points with three A-levels and one AS, and 625 points if one of the A Levels is maths.
Students in the North will also be considered for a place in a university in the Republic by applying with two A-levels and one or two AS levels.
The Universities Ireland Working Group was chaired by University of Galway Deputy President and Registrar Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh.
He said “the new system offers a fairer system than before”, adding: “It makes it easier for students from the north to come to the Republic to study, to learn and to experience our wonderful, energetic university communities.”
Meanwhile, Minister Simon Harris welcomed the move as a “very good first step” but said “there are further issues to work through”.
The move has also been welcomed by the SDLP.
Its economy spokesperson and Foyle MLA Sinéad McLaughlin said she’s “delighted Minister Harris has taken steps to address this”.
She added: “There has been great frustration for some time that the only way pupils here could maximise their chances were through extra A-Levels and this decision will remove a significant amount of pressure from our young people.”
Great news guys. Now get onto Hireland and pledge and give a few jobs.
@torpedo, their focus should not be on giving a few jobs, they should focus on continuation of their successful growth strategy, if they succeed jobs will follow.
They made a pre tax profit of 700 million. I think the can afford to hire one or two people.
It is that sort of attitude that leads to inefficiency and eventual ruin, you do not hire people just to sit on their arses.
‘Very challenging environment’ indeed. It’s a tough business building apartheid cement walls around Palestine, but some Irish firm has got to do it.
They are obviously working in a very challenging environment and there is still some way to go before new jobs will emerge. A profit of less than 4% on sales suggest that further cost cutting will be needed to remain competitive.
A challenging environment all right. Putting up Israel’s apartheid wall.
But its good for tricky Dicky Bruton’s portfolio.
Much of these profits have been made on the back of an illegal price-fixing cartel operating in the.concrete and cement industries. Ongoing legal actions taken by Framus Ltd and Goode Concrete serve to demonstrate the extent of the crippling stranglehold CRH have over many small businesses in this country. Compounding this is the negligence of the Competition Authority who steadfastly refuse to investigate the industry despite the severity of the allegations laid at the door of CRH. The term Regulatory Capture comes to mind here.
CRH operate a cartel with others in the cement, concrete and tarmac markets in Ireland. They have been selling concrete below average variable cost in the Dublin concrete market and abused their dominant position in their upstream cement and aggregates markets by doing so. This is illegal and criminal but they are being protected by the successive Governments due to a term called political and regulatory capture.
CRH has been found to have operated a price fixing cartel in Northern Ireland between 1985 and 1992. CRH was fined by the European Commission in 1994 for conducting a pan European cartel. In 2007 CRH was fined €530,000 for obstructing an antitrust investigation and destroying evidence. In 2009 CRH was fined €25 million for participation in a price fixing cartel in Poland.
CRH is doing monumental damage to the Irish economy by overcharging for cement and tarmac and using this money to subsidise a corporate eviction strategy which is costing the economy jobs.
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