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The Central Applications Office (CAO) has released its round one offers, revealing significant changes in points requirements for various courses. A total of 50.6% of courses experienced an increase, while 40.9% saw a decrease. Notable shifts include primary teaching at DCU and agricultural science at UCD. With multiple applicants for courses with limited spaces, 35 courses will use a random selection process. Education activists have criticized the CAO points system for causing anxiety among young learners and called for its reform.
The Central Applications Office ( CAO) has released its round one offers, revealing significant changes in points requirements for various courses. A total of 50.6% of courses experienced an increase, with an average rise of 23 points, ranging from 1 to 211 points.
Conversely, 40.9% of courses saw a decrease, averaging a drop of 21 points, while 8.5% remained unchanged from last year. Among the notable shifts, primary teaching at Dublin City University (DCU) witnessed a decrease from 485 points to 473, while agricultural science at University College Dublin (UCD) fell from 432 to 417.
However, applications for medicine, veterinary medicine, and physiotherapy increased, leading to points either rising or staying the same for these courses. Medicine at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) rose slightly from 739 to 741, and veterinary medicine at UCD decreased marginally from 590 to 589. With multiple applicants for courses with limited spaces, 35 courses, including medicine at various universities, will use a random selection process.
Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless assured that students achieving maximum points would not lose out to random selection, a first in several years. However, education activists, including the Children's Rights Alliance (CRA), criticized the CAO points system for causing anxiety among young learners and called for its reform. They argued that the system should prioritize the well-being of students over university league tables and professional hierarchies.
In other news, a car drove off the M50 bridge, causing significant traffic disruption, while 'Stairway to Heaven' became a TikTok sensation, according to Frank McNally
News CAO Points Education University Courses Random Selection Children's Rights Alliance Anxiety Reform
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