Mr. Paul Crone:

My answer to the first question is "Yes". In primary school you are very reliant on the interests of the teacher. When my children went to a primary school and if they had a teacher who was interested in music then they did a lot of music and the same applied to sport. Rather than specialise too early we need to embrace STEM skills at primary level. Innovation, creativity and collaboration are STEM skills and those skills can be embraced in Irish, English, History and all subjects. We must remove the barriers from the point of view of allowing students to experience success at a younger age in maths. In post-primary school we often have students come in to us and say they are not good at maths, and they have learned that. It is about creating those opportunities for success and embracing those skills at primary level. To open minds is key at primary level. Yes, there needs to be a little bit more done, particularly on in-service training so that teachers feel more prepared and equipped for STEM subjects.

On DEIS schools, yes, there is a scheme called STEM Passport for Inclusion, and money, which was recently granted to Maynooth University, will go a huge way towards building confidence, which is what is needed in DEIS schools. Many of the subjects are available in DEIS schools but we must build confidence in students, and provide enough time and career guidance to support the students, and give students that can do and will do attitude so that they pursue these subjects further. I would love to see more time created to be able to support students to follow their passion.