Words of warning

“Increasingly, I am hearing alarm at the extent to which our second-level system is producing students who learn to the test; who . . . are not learning to think for themselves; who receive spoon-feeding at second level and expect the same at third.’’

– Tom Boland, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority, in June 2009

A significant number of students at third level are inadequately prepared’’, leading to a reduction in standards.

– Extracted from submission by the Royal Irish Academy to the forthcoming National Strategy on Higher Education

The current CAO points system is delivering many “poorly educated and poorly motivated” students to the university sector.

– Michael Scott, professor of computing at DCU, in August 2009