Educational credibility - Too many students?

THERE has been an ongoing debate about the credibility of our educational system. Claims by Dr James Robinson, chief executive of the Kepler Institute, that “dumbing down” is persuading international companies not to move here should not be easily dismissed.

Dr Robinson blames the surge in student numbers for lower quality graduates and suggests that entry points be set at 450 for pre-engineering courses. This is significantly higher than what is required for many third-level degree programmes for engineering.

If Dr Robinson is right we will have to address the relationship between access and the real value of the qualification students eventually receive. Maybe both issues could be resolved by improving standards in maths education in first- and second-level schools.