Written answers

Tuesday, 29 September 2020

Department of Education and Skills

Third Level Admissions

Photo of Richard Boyd BarrettRichard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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656. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to ensure that reapplicants that sat the leaving certificate in previous years are not locked out of third-level education in view of the inflation in CAO points in 2020; if work is being undertaken on finding a solution to resolve the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26287/20]

Photo of Paul KehoePaul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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681. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to facilitate leaving certificate students from a previous year that are unsuccessful in the CAO in 2020 due to the increase in points caused by the calculated grades of the class of 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27160/20]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 656 and 681 together.

The CAO system is a system that works on the assumption that grades obtained in the Leaving Certificate by candidates determine their points. It is on this basis that the CAO system allocates places to applicants including those from different years. To ensure impartiality, the automatic CAO points systems have been created in a way that does not allow for different treatment to be applied to different sub-groups.

In order to help mitigate the impact of the changes to the grading system I announced the creation of an additional 2,225 places on high-demand courses in Higher Education Institutions. These places were provided in order ensure that as many students as possible could be accommodated on a course of their choice, given the unprecedented circumstances they are facing. These additional places meant that as of Round Two 63,338 applicants have received a CAO offer, more than in any previous year.

Nonetheless, there were fluctuations in CAO points this year, as there are every year. The changes in points depend not only on the grades received by applicants but also on the number of applicants, and the number of places available. As we are in the midst of a global pandemic and economic flux, there is more volatility than usual this year due to factors such as reduced opportunities in the economy, students seeking to defer or re-apply in subsequent years and uncertainty around students travelling internationally both to and from Ireland.

I appreciate how difficult a time it has been for students and parents, but I would like to stress the range of options available both in further education and training and apprenticeships, but also in pathways in higher education. For those whose route into higher education may not be what they originally planned, once they have a place there may be a pathway back to their preferred option.

Photo of Paul MurphyPaul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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657. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the case of a person (details supplied) will be addressed. [26292/20]

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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659. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of clerical errors made by the CAO that have resulted in students not getting their correct course of choice; the steps taken to rectify such errors which are not made by the students in circumstances in which clerical errors arise as a result of the incorrect exam and CAO number being assigned; the steps available to students to ensure such errors are rectified immediately allowing students to receive their appropriate offers in first round offers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26451/20]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 657 and 659 together.

Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous and determine their own procedures for admission. The CAO process applications for undergraduate, and some postgraduate, courses on their behalf.

Decisions on admissions are made by the higher education institutions who then instruct the CAO to make offers to successful candidates. Therefore neither I nor my Department have a function in relation to such matters and information on clerical errors in CAO applications is not held in my Department.

I understand, based on the information available to me, that where the CAO is notified of an error in an application after Round One offers have issued, they update the account information and ask the higher education institutions to consider them for Round Two. A portion of the offers that are issued in Round Two every year, including this year, are to applicants who needed to be accommodated after adjustments had been made due to applicant omissions or errors, or administrative errors caused by the higher education institutions or CAO.

I appreciate that it is very upsetting for an applicant to realise their examination information was incorrect, and every effort has been made by CAO and the higher education institutions to facilitate such applicants in Round Two.

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