Dr. Ruth Freeman:

I thank the Chair and members for the invitation to appear at the committee. I am delighted to be here to contribute to the discussions. Science Foundation Ireland's education and public engagement connect the Irish public with STEM, science, technology, engineering and maths, which will be my focus. We also aim to inspire young people’s confidence and aspirations to pursue skills development and career choices in the STEM fields. It has been clear over the last 18 months more than ever that we need scientists, engineers and a public that can have a meaningful input into how research shapes our society. We want to smash the stereotypes which might tell our young people that STEM is not for them.

The 21st-century workplace will be a fast-evolving environment. Knowledge and specialist expertise will continue to be critical, but even more important will be the ability to apply that knowledge and expertise in previously unimagined ways. Therefore, the new senior cycle must encompass a programme of learning that enables students to develop skills and knowledge needed to address future challenges. They need to be equipped with the ability to solve complex problems by nurturing creative thinking and innovation. Students entering the workforce will benefit from having good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a diverse team and will be personally effective. Ultimately, we need to create students who will be lifelong learners.

SFI, through its programmes, engages in supporting all stages of our STEM talent and skills pipeline, from the early years in primary schools, through the discover primary science and maths programme, through to smart futures programme for career advice in secondary school, and on to fourth level through master's degrees and PhDs. In fact, we engage the entire country in a discussion about STEM during Science Week in November, which reaches over 250,000 people.

Our annual discover programme is assessed by international peer review and supports between 30 and 40 projects a year with an investment of approximately €4 million. These projects cover a diverse range of interventions, for example, coding, supporting profession development for teachers, activities for transition year students and, importantly, research projects examining why, for example, girls might be less likely to select physics as a subject choice. Our programmes are targeted towards a wide diversity of audiences, including the Traveller community, children and parents in direct provision and students on the autistic spectrum. Projects that we fund promote a more active form of learning and the use of a range of authentic assessment strategies.

At the core of our actions is the focus on building STEM learning throughout a life, what we term STEM capital, or all of the access to scientific and technological aspects throughout a person's life. We recognise that young people must be able to apply their creativity in real-life situations. Participation in informal STEM education projects such as CanSat, SciFest and the BT Young Scientist offer these opportunities and we would welcome recognition for participating in projects like those as part of any future leaving certificate assessment process.

Helping our learners to work in this way requires our teachers to have sufficient pedagogical content knowledge and expertise in assessment so that they can design and enact high-quality learning experiences and use innovative approaches to support both formative and summative assessment approaches. Teachers require ongoing support to transform their professional practices so that learners are more actively engaged in their own learning and ensuring they are ready for the world of work and a society where lifelong learning is now a key competence. We would welcome the formal accreditation of teacher training and teacher professional development offered by SFI and other organisations to ensure a high standard and act as a teacher incentive.

Building on those approaches, we welcome projects such as the assessment of transversal skills in STEM, led by DCU, which highlights the use of appropriate tools, digital resources and innovation in both the curriculum and assessment, so we have a more integrated and active approach to STEM teaching and learning. Digital technologies have the potential to transform teaching and learning in new ways. Many schools now want to capitalise on the efforts made by their teachers during the pandemic and on the new knowledge they have acquired to support different practices.

We also support the development of digital skills and digital technologies that can contribute to future resilience while ensuring that such developments are inclusive and remain focused on bridging the digital divide. We worked on the STEM education policy statement, which identifies the reforms under way in the Irish education system, and we would very much support those. We recognise that young people require more than the ability to memorise facts and procedures.

Many governments have already begun implementing fundamental changes to their education systems as part of reimagining how they organise teaching, learning and assessment to better meet the needs of society in the 21st century. Those countries are now in the process of moving away from an over-reliance on teachers preparing students for this high-stakes summative assessment to a different way of education that is focused on cultivating engaged, connected global citizens. SFI has funded many initiatives which could be mainstreamed into the education system and which could help to bring Ireland on the same journey.

I strongly believe that we need our education system and broader society to recognise different types of learners, different ways of thinking and to consider the different skills and expertise that contribute to a functioning society. It is incumbent on us to ensure that we educate now in a way that will enable us to build a sustainable, inclusive and just society in the future.