Sir, - The points made by Intel in its submission to the Task Force on the Physical Sciences (reported in The Irish Times, October 26th), come as no surprise to those of us who teach science in the institutes of technology.
We have been watching with dismay, over the past few years, the steep decline in the number of school leavers applying, in particular, for our chemistry courses. At the same time, the demand for both skilled laboratory technicians and highly-qualified science graduates in the pharmaceutical/fine chemicals sector is as buoyant as ever.
The Department of Education knows what needs to be done in order to improve the quality of science teaching at second level, as well as its attractiveness for students, but there doesn't seem to be the political will to tackle the problems.
In any case, it is not simply science education, but the entire secondary education system that is in crisis at the moment. That is a separate issue.
But perhaps it is now time for the chemical industry to step in, by putting real incentives in place, which might encourage young people to embrace careers in science.
This could be done in a number of ways which would, of course, cost money. For example, valuable scholarships might be offered to students who choose to study the physical sciences at third level (some companies are already sponsoring small money prizes for science students, but more is needed); up-to-date laboratory equipment might be provided for cash-starved schools and colleges. Perhaps more importantly, the industry might offer more attractive salary scales to their scientist employees, commensurate with their qualifications, which would put scientists on a par with professionals in other fields.
Such an investment could yield a rich return for the industry and for the Irish economy in the years ahead. - Yours, etc.,
Margaret Franklin, Lecturer in chemistry, Athlone Institute of Technology, Co Westmeath.