Donegal Daily
  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Politics
  • Features
  • Donegal County Council News
Saturday 18°CSunday 18°C

Donegal Daily Donegal Daily

sponsor banner
sponsor banner
  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Politics
  • Features
  • Donegal County Council News
NewsPolitics

GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE ENOUGH THIRD LEVEL PLACES – MCCONALOGUE

written by Stephen Maguire August 15, 2012
FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education and Skills Charlie McConalogue has demanded the Government ensures there is sufficient third level places for Leaving Cert students.

He said: “I want to congratulate the students receiving the Leaving Cert results today. It’s a very important day for them after two years preparing for the exams. I would encourage students to take the time to look carefully at their options for further education now.

“I am delighted to see the positive effect that Project Maths and the additional bonus CAO points are having on the numbers sitting higher level maths. Since it was first rolled out in September 2010, Project Maths has shown promising results with more students opting to take the higher level maths exam and increased student engagement with the subject.

The Inishowen TD said his key concern at the moment is that there must be a sufficient number of third level places available for students and they are able to get places on courses.

“We are concerned at the potential significant increase in points across a number of courses particularly those courses that are essential to the knowledge economy such as science and technology courses where there will undoubtedly be increased competition for places. If points increase dramatically then more places need to be put on stream.

“In such difficult economic circumstances we need to ensure that our young people are given every opportunity or pathway to access the necessary courses at third level. We are calling on the Government to provide the necessary places to meet demand, to be innovative and work with the colleges and Institutes of Technology to provide enough places on those courses essential to our knowledge economy.

“There has been a massive expansion in the number of places available at third level over the past 15 years. Since 1997, we have seen a 59% increase in the number of full-time students enrolled in our third level institutions. This government must ensure that this expansion continues and that opportunities continue to be provided particularly in those courses most needed by the labour market.

“Last year, Minister Quinn promised leaving certificate reform which would tackle the points race and the pressure that this puts on students but so far this has amounted to nothing more than hot air. The NCCA/HEA produced a detailed report following a conference on Leaving Cert reform last December with a list of detailed recommendations. Unfortunately, there has been no mention of leaving cert reform since then.”

GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE ENOUGH THIRD LEVEL PLACES – MCCONALOGUE was last modified: August 15th, 2012 by Stephen Maguire
FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint

Tags:
Charlie McConalogueLeaving cert
Stephen Maguire

Stephen Maguire is the co-founder of Donegal Daily. He has worked as a reporter for almost 30 years starting locally with the Donegal Peoples Press before moving to the Mirror Group. He continues to contribute daily to national media outlets including the Irish Times, RTE, the Irish Independent, Irish Sun, Irish Mirror, Irish Star, the Daily Mail and the Examiner.

LEAVE A COMMENT

You may also like

Letterkenny man said €1,500 of drugs was...

1 hour ago

Buncrana hit with water outages after burst...

2 hours ago

Three Donegal politicans back Oireachtas Heart and...

2 hours ago

Fantastic €10,000 total announced from fundraiser in...

3 hours ago

ERNACT secures €4.65 million in funding for...

3 hours ago

Dance the summer away as the Abbey...

5 hours ago

Donegal Dublin Network and Letterkenny Chamber form...

5 hours ago

Donegal director bringing filmmaking expertise to workshop...

17 hours ago

Exciting times as Mount Errigal Hotel begins...

17 hours ago

Blaneys recognised for ‘outstanding and exceptional’ 100...

20 hours ago
Advertisement
Advertisement

Donegal County Council

Facebook
Donegal County Council
Advertisement
Advertisement
Donegal Daily Jobs

Read More

  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Sales & Services
  • Obituaries
  • Features
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Council News

Information

  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise WIth Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

Our Sites

Donegal Woman
Donegal Woman
Donegal Daily

© 2025 Donegal Daily. All rights reserved.
Website by owenod


Back To Top.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.