Higher education diplomas will no longer be awarded from this September and will be replaced by ordinary level degrees as part of radical new plans to be announced by the Government next week. John Downes reports.
The new system - to be announced by the Minister of State for Education, Ms Síle de Valera, on Tuesday - also means that anybody who now has a national diploma will be entitled to have it recognised as equivalent to an ordinary level degree.
In the biggest shake-up of the awards system in years, all colleges and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland have agreed to implement a uniform system for naming and valuing awards.
The authorities hope the changes will make it easier for students, employers and third-level institutions to judge the value of courses and awards.
The move will affect over 35,000 students at two-year national certificate and three-year diploma level. The diplomas will now be titled ordinary degrees, while students currently studying for or commencing certificate courses will be awarded a new higher certificate.
Anybody applying for a diploma or certificate course through this year's CAO system, including those who applied through the "change of mind" process, will now be studying for an ordinary-level degree or the new higher certificate, depending on the programme they are offered. The deadline for receipt of "change of mind" forms closed yesterday.
Students who have just completed certificate and diploma programmes will be awarded these qualifications in the autumn. Employers will be expected to recognise them as equivalent to ordinary degrees.
Students who have to repeat some papers in these courses may receive the existing qualifications next year. All other students will start to receive the new awards from 2005 onwards.
Students enrolled on three-year honours degree programmes will still receive higher degrees if they successfully complete their courses, regardless of the new classification of three-year diplomas as ordinary degrees.
The changes to the classification of national diplomas and certificates are aimed at promoting "lifelong learning" and the transferability of skills both here and abroad.
A benefit of the new system is that all colleges will have total clarity regarding the level of qualification of awards offered.
Diplomas will be recognised as being at level seven of the National Qualification Authority of Ireland's 10-point scale. This ranges from level one awards, recognising basic literacy and numeracy, to level 10 which acknowledges doctoral degrees. It includes level eight awards, which relate to higher level degrees.