Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The mathematical challenge in computer science for first year undergraduates never ceases to amaze me, yet the same results can be achieved in other institutions without the mathematics element being as onerous. There are successful computer courses in the country where the mathematics element has been downgraded. I am not so sure that is a good idea but it has happened purely to allow for the weakness with regard to mathematics. Youngsters go to college expecting to develop the next greatest game or the next greatest app and they suddenly find their first year is totally immersed in pretty heavy mathematics. For a student who drops out of college during first year or at the end of it purely because they made a bad choice, we make it very difficult to get back into the system. Mr. Purser might address that aspect.