An Oireachtas Joint Committee is to examine the possibility of establishing a new general science subject at Leaving Certificate level.
The Joint Committee on Education and Science will consider the creation of a subject combining elements of physics, chemistry and biology.
This will be one part of an investigation into the decline in science at second-level schools and third level to be carried out on by two Fine Gael TDs.
One of the TDs, Mr Richard Bruton, the party's spokesman on education, said he favoured the creation of a new general science option.
"It is clear students are reacting against the perceived difficulty and specialisation involved in the study of physics and chemistry," he said. "In each case the take-up of these subjects has fallen by almost 20 per cent in the last five years. If present trends continue, the take-up of chemistry will soon dip below 10 per cent of students. "From a long-term point of view, we need students who have a broad-based scientific background that would mix biology with physics and chemistry." He said that at third level, students were able to specialise in science.
He said if the joint committee found merit in the proposal it would submit its views to the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods.
The committee will investigate the state of learning in science and related subjects at primary, secondary and third level, and its adequacy to meet the economy's demands.
It will also study learning and assessment methods; the adequacy of the curriculum; the retention rate among third-level science students; the adequacy of research budgets; the relevance of research undertaken; the conversion rate of research into patents and commercial ideas; the availability of money to commercialise research.