Science Week Ireland, which began last Thursday and continues until November 8th, is a key plank in the campaign to promote awareness of science, technology and innovation. The need to create this awareness as part of a three-year campaign was signalled clearly in the White Paper on science, technology and innovation. In this article, I offer a perspective on how schools can play their part in promoting science among today's students and try to identify the changes necessary to ensure science, technology and innovation are at the heart of our economic and social development.
Schools have a key role to play in advancing science in a number of ways. Students tend to be ever more conscious of the environment and are keen to learn more about the sciences, but they can also be encouraged to pursue careers in the sciences. They can be made aware of the importance of the sciences on their own merits and they can be shown the strong link between science, technology and innovation and our economic growth.
The pharmaceutical industry employs about 21,000 people in Ireland and is the second most important sector in the economy in terms of export value. Strong employment growth is forecast - the difficulty employers face is finding students who have a familiarity with or aptitude in the sciences.
Teachers and educationalists have been to the fore in seeking to make the sciences more attractive. Undoubtedly, this is not unrelated to the falling interest among students in physics and chemistry in particular. The new chemistry syllabus has been agreed since 1994 and one of the aims associated with the new syllabus is to make the lower-level course more attractive.
We must all be concerned at the serious decline in the number of students taking physics and chemistry at Leaving Cert level.
We have seen the numbers taking chemistry decline from 10,187 to 7,669 between 1987 and 1997, which means that only 11 per cent of Leaving Cert students are now sitting chemistry (down from 21 per cent in 1987). The numbers taking physics have fallen from 20 per cent to 14.5 per cent, while the numbers taking the Leaving Cert have actually increased by 17 per cent. Employment in pharmaceuticals and chemical manufacturing in that period grew by 85 per cent.
THE fact that thousands of students are every year being turned away from studying physics and chemistry, in particular, means employers could soon be forced to look overseas to fill these positions. It also makes promotion of these science subjects increasingly difficult.
The Minister for Education and Science has asked that the introduction of the new Leaving Cert courses in physics and chemistry be brought forward and that preparations begin from next year. However, we have to warn Mr Martin that schools are not ready to cope with these new syllabuses. We estimate that investment of up to £10 million per annum over the next five years is required to ensure that all second-level schools have properly equipped laboratory facilities. The curriculums rightly put a greater emphasis on practical work. which means labs and equipment will have to be made available as a matter of urgency.
The Department must ensure that all second-level schools are provided with up-to-date science labs and equipment so students have access to practical work. Our latest figures show that of 365 second-level schools surveyed by Lansdowne Market Research, only 182 have a biology laboratory, 201 have a chemistry lab and 208 have a physics lab.
Because of insufficient numbers of qualified teachers, subject choices, particularly in science, are restricted, especially for girls. Of the 110 girls' schools surveyed by the ASTI, 76 said they had difficulty in providing the full range of vocational/technical subjects, thereby depriving girls of the chance to study what have been traditionally seen as boys' subjects. In addition, 60 per cent of the 365 second-level schools surveyed said the shortage of teachers meant they were unable to extend the range of curriculum options and programmes for students.
The same survey shows nine out of 10 second-level schools have no science laboratory technicians. Not only is time lost as teachers devote much of their valuable time to preparing equipment, it also undermines our efforts to ensure that school laboratories are safe places.
Mr Martin has recognised the crisis by ordering a reserved quota on higher diploma in education courses for trainee teachers offering physics and chemistry.
We support this move but urge that provision is made for lowering the current pupil-teacher appointment ratio (the highest in the European Union) if schools are to be in a position to employ the teachers required to ensure more students can study the science subjects.
In particular, we want to see greater participation in science by girls. Schools will be at the centre of any successful campaign to promote science, technology and innovation; teachers and students are willing and anxious to play their part. All that is asked is that students are able to pursue the science subjects they wish to study, which means that sufficient teachers must be employed. It also means there must be comprehensive investment in science facilities and equipment in our schools to ensure that students are not left to enter the new millennium with rusting bunsen burners. The need for in vestment has been made repeatedly by Forfas and industry leaders. It is to be hoped that the Government will act to ensure that tomorrow's adults and workers reap the benefits from the science and technology revolution.
Charlie Lennon is the general secretary of ASTI
