MORE THAN 14 per cent of second-level schools have dropped science subjects because of budget cutbacks, according to a survey. The survey also found that 10 per cent of schools have been forced to drop physics from the choice of subjects available to students.
The research also found that higher and ordinary science classes have been combined in 70 per cent of the schools surveyed.
The survey among more than 300 Junior Cert science teachers was conducted by Millward Browne Lansdowne on behalf of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI).
The findings come as the Government and the recent report of the Innovation Task Force underline the importance of science in the smart economy.
Other key findings include:
- 20 per cent of schools that did not drop a science subject this year believe it likely their school will lose a science subject next year;
- 75 per cent of schools have reduced the number of field trips and out of school science learning;
- 70 per cent of teachers say there are not enough computer facilities in school laboratories.
The survey also highlights the difficulty facing the Government, teachers and business leaders as they seek to build greater student interest in science. Only about 7,000 students take physics and chemistry at higher level in the Leaving Cert.
In the ASTI survey, 93 per cent of science teachers said their students perceived these as “hard’’ subjects. Teachers also reported how some 50 per cent of students said science subjects were too theoretical and removed from everyday life.
ASTI assistant general secretary Moira Leyden called for new incentives allowing science teachers to complete postgraduate courses in physics and chemistry.
ASTI general secretary John White expressed concern at the findings. “Science education is vital to the development of the smart economy, which is predicated on a highly-skilled and flexible workforce. Science education will determine the availability and quality of jobs for today’s second-level pupils,” he said.
