MATHS AND SCIENCE:THE PRESSURE on the Government to address the "crisis" in maths and science has intensified after the group representing US multinationals warned future investment could now be at risk.
The American Chamber of Commerce, representing 570 US firms in Ireland, said the continuing decline in numbers taking higher level Leaving Cert papers in maths and science represents a barrier to Ireland fulfilling its potential as a knowledge economy.
Only 16 per cent of Leaving Cert students took higher level maths this year; only 10 per cent took higher level chemistry. Of the 57,000 who sat the exam, only 4,600 took higher-level physics.
The chamber said this – allied with a drop-out rate of up to 39 per cent from university science courses – pointed to a fundamental problem in the teaching of these key areas in schools.
The US multinationals represented by the chamber accounts for 70 per cent of all IDA- supported employment in the State.
The chamber said current trends in maths and science raise questions about Ireland’s capacity to develop the smart economy the Government believes is key to economic revival.
It is demanding fundamental reform of curriculums with a new stress on innovation and problem-solving in maths and science.
In recent months, both the Higher Education Authority and the Royal Irish Academy have expressed concern about declining academic standards and the dumbing down of the Leaving Cert exam.
While ABC grades at higher level have increased dramatically in the past decade, senior academics say standards are actually slipping. This week, DCU professor of computing Michael Scott said the current CAO points system was delivering many “poorly educated and poorly motivated” students to the university sector.
Yesterday, PharmaChemical Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the Irish pharmaceutical and chemicals sector, also expressed concern about the low uptake of chemistry in the Leaving Cert.
In other reaction, John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland, said the training of maths and science teachers must be improved to boost the standard of teaching in these subjects.
Yesterday, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe expressed confidence the new Project Maths programme, now being piloted in schools, would address the crisis in the subject.
The hope is that all schools will begin the revised courses in Junior Cert and Leaving Cert maths from September next year.
But Fine Gael’s Brian Hayes said the Government has singularly failed to tackle the crisis in maths and science that has developed over the past decade.
“The country needs high levels of achievement in science and technology but, instead of seeing positive moves in this area, the Leaving Cert results have confirmed downward trends in these vital areas . . . Ireland will suffer unless science participation at Junior Certificate level is brought up to 100 per cent [and] there is root and branch reform of maths teaching and learning,” he said.
Mr Hayes added that “clusters” of schools should be allocated laboratory technicians to support science teaching.
