The National Association for Principals & Deputy Principals has called for reform of the CAO points system, with more bonus points in different subjects.
With just weeks to go before the class of 2026 sit their Leaving Certificate, the NAPD has said the status quo is not working for students and unfairly subjecting them to a points based “pressure cooker”.
“We believe that we need to move to a more student centred model that recognises students' aptitudes, abilities and interests - rather than just a crude calculation of their performance in the exam,” NAPD Director Paul Crone argued on Newstalk Breakfast.
“Now, we do believe that we do need to have matriculation requirements; for example, we do want our engineers to be good at maths, so that the bridges would stand up.
“But what we don't need is the pressure cooker of students having to be good at everything.”
Students sitting their Leaving Cert. Picture by: AG News/Alamy Live News.In 2012, the Bonus Points Initiative (BPI) for Maths was introduced, in a bid to encourage more people to take the higher level exam.
Mr Crone suggested maths should not be the only course that qualifies for bonus points.
“We can reduce the number of subjects that are counted for points, which takes the pressure off,” he said.
“We can also look at calculating bonus points; at the moment, there's bonus points for maths - but why can't the bonus points be relative to the course that the student is doing?
“So, for example, if you're applying for a journalism course, surely your bonus points should be in English?”
Mr Crone added that third level institutions should reform first year, with fewer specialised courses.
“The transitions group in 2017 recommended that universities would implement more universal entry courses,” he said.
“Therefore, getting more students into general entry science or engineering; then at the end of first year, they can be filtered on the basis of their performance and how they have settled into university.
“So we need to make it more enabling rather than restrictive; as it's operating at the moment, it is restricting students’ access.”
Main image: Student sit their Leaving Certificate. Picture by: AG News/Alamy Live News.
