Higher Education Minister supports calls for CAO reform

Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has expressed support for calls to reform the CAO points system. This came after representative groups for students, parents, teachers, and principals stressed that the process has a "pressure-cooker effect" on young people. Lawless agreed, stating that pathways and entry points into third-level education need to be reformed.

He emphasized the importance of a broad-based classical education, including humanities, sciences, engineering, and art, especially in the current era of AI and digitalization. Lawless met representatives from the Irish Universities Association, the Technological Universities Association, and the students' union, inviting them to submit proposals on the matter.

He is currently reviewing these proposals and plans to establish a working group to move the reform forward. Lawless acknowledged the CAO's significance for students but noted that it is not the only path forward, with many more options available, such as tertiary degrees, apprenticeships, and PLC courses.