STUDENTS from the North are losing out on top university places in the Republic due to an admissions system that "discriminates" against our highest achievers.
Philip Cummings, whose daughter Siún Cummings received four A*'s in her A-Levels, told how the former St Louis Ballymena student missed out on a place on the Law and French course at Trinity College due to a severe flaw in the Central Applications Office's (CAO) admissions standards.
The course at Trinity required a total of 602 points, however, the CAO applies a maximum of 600 points to four A* A-levels that do not include Mathematics. An extra 25 points can be allocated for those who do A-level Maths.
Mr Cummings, who is originally from Twinbrook, has since written to Further and Higher Education Minister, Simon Harris, stating that the CAO system "discriminates" against students in the North.
"Why anyone who is doing law and languages would be doing A-level Maths is beyond me," he said.
TOP ACHIEVER: Siún Cummings
"Just because Maths is compulsory at Leaving Cert, I think they just don't understand our system. They've made a decision here that discriminates against A-Level candidates and they just don't care. They just keep replying and saying if she did A-Level Maths she could have gotten the points. In what universe, if you were studying French, Spanish, History and English, would you be studying A-Level Maths?
He continued: This wee girl came third in Northern Ireland in her GCSE Spanish, and I'm not saying this because she's my daughter, but she's a really gifted linguist.
"I've written to Simon Harris, and he hasn't come back to me yet, but Trinity academic registry are just batting this back to me saying that you can get 625 points, with 25 extra points if they do Mathematics."
In an email to Mr Cummings, a TCD official stated that "UK applicants can meet the 625 points requirements".
"(Four) full A-Levels are the equivalent of the (six) subjects an Irish Leaving Certificate student must present," they added.
They said four A* star grades at A-level will get 600 points, "the same" as six H1 grades at leaving cert, with "25 bonus points" for Maths.
"We do understand that not all A-Level students complete four subjects but they can and 625 is achievable," they added.
A spokesperson for Department for Further and Higher Education said: "Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies in relation to their admission and selection policies and the criteria for entry to higher education in Ireland is decided solely by the Higher Education Institutions. The Central Applications Office (CAO) is collectively owned and run by the higher education institutions themselves in order to administer the admission process. Specific queries regarding admission should be directed to the CAO.
"Irish third level institutions collectively agreed to operate a bonus points scheme for higher level mathematics in 2010 following a call by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. The purpose of this collective action was to provide an incentive to second level students to opt for higher level mathematics at leaving certificate level given the relatively low take-up of higher-level mathematics compared to other subjects. This decision was taken in the context of the need for graduates with high level mathematical skills to fill particular skills gaps in the economy.
"The same bonus points are available to any student who presents a mathematics exam from a different examination system, where an equivalence to higher level mathematics can be drawn. Therefore such students have the same opportunities to attain the 25 bonus points as students sitting the Leaving Certificate."
