Entry to third level - Assessment is worth considering

NOBODY can deny that Ireland’s Leaving Cert exam, with its heavy emphasis on a points system which encourages parrot-style learning by rote, is utterly inadequate as a grounding for students to survive in higher education, in their career or in adult life.

Many students undergo a severe form of culture shock when they move from second-level to third-level education with some opting to change their degree course or drop out altogether.

This scenario underlines the significance of a proposal to harness secondary teachers as professional assessors of their pupils’ abilities and qualities before they go from the classroom to the lecture theatre. In airing this, Dr Ed Walsh, founding president of the University of Limerick, has identified a possible new role for teachers. It is an issue that will stir up debate involving teachers, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and the public.