FINE GAEL has urged the Government to extend a Leaving Certificate bonus maths scheme to other third-level institutions in order to give clarity to students.
The call followed an announcement by UCD that it would introduce bonus CAO points for Leaving Cert higher level maths for a trial period of four years.
Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune urged Minister for Education Mary Coughlan to act urgently for the sake of fifth-year students who would sit the Leaving Cert in 2012.
These students wanted clarification as to whether UCD will be alone in giving bonus points, or whether it will also impact on their applications to other third-level institutions, she said.
The question needed to be urgently answered, as these students are making subject choices that “will have long-term consequences for their future”, she added.
Ms Coughlan should “immediately extend similar schemes in other third-level institutions so that all fifth-year students can know where they stand”, she said.
Meanwhile, the introduction of the scheme in UCD was welcomed by an employers’ group representing the high-tech sector.
The move would send a signal to national and international industry leaders that Ireland was serious about the smart economy, ICT Ireland director Paul Sweetman said.
Engineers Ireland yesterday announced it would offer free higher level maths grinds to Leaving Cert students every Saturday for the next seven months.
