Higher education diplomas are to be replaced by ordinary level degrees as part of a restructuring of the entire awards system within Irish education. Changes in the classification system, which will focus in particular on national diplomas and certificates, will seek to promote the concept of "lifelong learning" and the transferability of skills.
The proposals will provide clarity for all colleges concerning the level of awards, with a view to having them accepted as entry qualifications.
The role played by education in laying the foundations for our recent spectacular economic growth is only sporadically recognised by Government decision-takers. But there is no doubt that long-term investment in education and, in particular, the establishment and expansion of third-level institutions within the past 20 years, has transformed society. That investment must continue if the source of our economic growth is to be protected and the quality of life of all citizens improved.
By introducing a common scale for all educational qualifications, the prospect of moving up the skills chain will become less intimidating. Each level, however, will not have to be completed by mature students. Access programmes will allow early school-leavers to re-enter education and, depending on life experience and performance, study for a degree. Colleges have agreed the value of all third-level awards and this is expected to facilitate a larger movement by students between the various institutions and universities.
A great deal of work by the National Qualifications Authority has gone into devising this innovative system which will rate educational qualifications and abilities for all students on a scale of one to ten, ranging from basic literacy and numeracy to doctoral degree level. But the process could not have been brought to fruition without the co-operation and support of the various qualification-awarding bodies and the universities, which agreed the basic values of the new system. The process was particularly fraught at third level, involving everything from certificate courses in institutes of technology, to diplomas and university degrees, because of the anxiety of colleges to secure the maximum level of recognition for their courses.
Details of the new system will be announced this week by the Minister of State for Education, Ms Síle de Valera, and take effect in the autumn.
The changes will positively affect about 35,000 students. But the long-term effect of introducing transparency and comparability into the Irish education system should be of benefit to all.