Department of Education sources have expressed unease about the plan by Trinity College Dublin to reserve places on courses for A-level students from Northern Ireland and Britain.
Yesterday, the Department refused to make any official comment but a well-placed source expressed disquiet.
The source said: "This move is only an interim measure but I think we would be concerned if it was to become permanent. The CAO process must be seen to operate fairly for all applicants."
TCD has been accused of discriminating against Leaving Cert students after its decision to reserve places. But the college insists the new interim arrangements will actually make it easier for Leaving Cert students to secure places.
TCD acknowledges that a "disproportionate" number of A-level students secure places on its courses. In some areas, such as law, up to 50 per cent of undergraduates can be from Northern Ireland and Britain. Under the new system, about 25 per cent of places would be reserved for these applicants.
The controversy has arisen because TCD moved to reduce the number of CAO points for each A-level. University sources said the traditional system, which gave students 190 points for each top A-level, made it "relatively easy" for students from Northern Ireland and Britain to secure a place. Up to 20 per cent of A-level students secure the equivalent of 570 CAO points compared to only about 2 per cent of Leaving Cert students.
Last year, TCD reviewed the relative merits of A-levels and the Leaving Cert. It decided to reduce the number of points for each top A-level to 150, a move that provoked a great deal of protest from educationalists and schools, especially those in Northern Ireland, with whom the college has strong links.
TCD therefore decided to reserve places, to part compensate for the reduction in CAO points for each top A-Level. In correspondence with schools in Britain and Northern Ireland, the college's senior lecturer, Prof John Murray, tells A-level applicants that "they will be competing in a closed system and will have a significant chance of securing a place on a high-demand course in 2005/2006".
TCD admissions officer, Ms Patricia Callaghan, says the move could actually lead to more places on high-point courses for Leaving Certificate students.
"Everything about this is concerned with creating a fairer playing-field," she said.
