Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I heard my colleague, the Minister for Education, on the radio this morning talking to Claire Byrne about this. She laid out in easy to understand terms why grade inflation was introduced. She said the introduction of a cliff edge now would be equally difficult for students to bear for a variety of reasons. I support her in that but I also support her in the concept of moving away from inflated grades. There is no doubt but that it causes difficulty; it also causes difficulty for people coming from the North to study in the South. I have empathy and the utmost sympathy for people who get maximum points and are put into a lottery but, ultimately, decisions around the CAO are independent of our Department. Allocation of points is made by the CAO, which is an instrument of the Irish Universities Association. It has worked really well in recent years. The trajectory the Minister for Education has put in place around removing inflated grades is welcome and I think most students, parents and teachers would welcome it as well.