Minister for Education Mary Hanafin has reiterated that she wants third-level colleges to consider awarding bonus CAO points in higher-level maths for students taking science, technology and engineering courses.
The move comes amid growing concern in Government and business circles about the dramatic fall-off in students opting for science-related courses at third level.
Last night, Ms Hanafin asked third-level leaders to examine how a new bonus points scheme might work in individual colleges.
She personally favours a scheme which would give students a real incentive to take higher-level maths. For example, a student gaining an A1 in higher-level maths would receive 150 rather than 100 points, a bonus of 50 per cent.
But she stressed that any new bonus points system should only apply to students opting for science, technology and related courses at third-level.
Responding to the latest move, a spokesman for UCD president Dr Hugh Brady - the current head of the group representing the seven university presidents - said the universities would be "favourably disposed" towards any new move to address the current problem.
This is the second time that Ms Hanafin has backed bonus points in the past year. To date, colleges have been slow to respond as each one likes to set its own entry requirements. But the positive response from Dr Brady is significant.
The bonus points proposal is intended to make it more attractive for students to take higher-level maths in the Leaving Cert and then proceed to study science, technology and engineering at third level.
Only about 7,000 students scored a grade C in higher-level maths in the Leaving Cert last year, the minimum requirement for entry to most courses in science and related areas.
CAO points for science, computer and engineering courses have also tumbled in recent years, reflecting the fall-off in student demand. Students need just 305 points to take science at UCD, compared to 465 for primary teaching and over 400 for most business courses.
In all, 31 per cent of those accepting honours degree courses opt for arts and humanities. In contrast, computer students account for just 3 per cent of those accepting third-level courses this year, compared to almost 10 per cent in 2000.
Ms Hanafin stressed that a bonus points system for maths would acknowledge the priority that the Government has given to the areas of science and technology. It was not intended to signal that arts and humanities were less important, she stressed.
The Minister hopes a bonus points scheme, allied to changes in the Leaving Cert maths curriculum, would help attract more students to the subject. The new maths course, placing a greater emphasis on problem solving, will be introduced from next September.
Before bonus points could be introduced, registrars in each third-level college would have to tease out precisely how such a scheme would work in practice.
The University of Limerick currently offers bonus points for higher-level maths for entry to all of its courses. The Dublin Institute of Technology gives bonus points to students with higher-level maths for courses in electronic engineering and some related areas.
The chief examiner in maths has commented on the poor grasp of basic maths concepts among many students and the inability of students to answer less predictable questions.
In the international league tables prepared by the OECD, Irish 15-year-olds are ranked mid-table for maths.
Meanwhile, the Central Applications Office has expressed confidence that the current college application process can be completed smoothly.
Last year, scores of students had difficulty accessing the CAO website in the final run-in to the February 1st deadline.
This year the CAO expects no repetition of these difficulties as it deals with some 50,000 applications. New computer technology means that the Galway-based body should be able to process up to 4,000 applications per hour.
Over 7,000 students have already applied to the CAO this year in advance of the February 1st deadline.
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