There should be open access to university, meaning degrees are freely available to all without points restrictions, according to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy.

He told Newstalk Breakfast that the current system, where Leaving Cert points dictate access to college courses, puts immense stress on young people and "crystalises educational inequality".

"In terms of the access figures - to me, that is the most odious element of it - 99% of students in Dublin six going on to third level edcation, and in half of the constituency I represent, Dublin 24, 29%," Deputy Murphy said.

"That is not because students in Dublin 24 are any less intelligent, any less capable of being whatever, and I think not only are they missing out through this system, society is missing out.

"We are missing out on people who would be excellent lecturers, teachers, whatever, as a consequence of this point system."

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has proposed that there should be open access to university – meaning that degrees are made freely available to all, with no or limited points restrictions.

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According to Deputy Murphy, the grade inflation that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic "highlights the madness of the points system".

"The effect of the grade inflation that happened during COVID is now being unwound, so when the average inflation on points was 7.5% up until now, it's going to go to 5.5%," he said.

"The consequence is that the average student this year will have 15 or 16 points less than the average student last year.

"That is going to have an impact of high degree of unfairness on this year's students when it comes to accessing college places because they're going to be up against people who qualified previously."

Stressed teen boy studying with laptop while lying on floor

Deputy Murphy said that an open access system would not mean that everyone is entitled to a degree, but that students would have to prove themselves at a university level to get into their desired course.

"What you have in many other countries is an omnibus entry first year where, you know, you want to go and do medicine? Great, no problem," he said.

"Your first year in college is doing a broad science degree, and at the end of that we determine your suitability to go in to do medicine."

Deputy Murphy said that Ireland needs to invest more in education, and this could be a good place to start.

Main image: A graduation ceremony at a US college. Image: Ray Warren NYC / Alamy. 11 May 2011