Mr. Paul Crone:

I thank the committee very much for accommodating me. I missed the other group last week so I really appreciate getting this opportunity.

My name is Paul Crone and I am the director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, NAPD. NAPD is the professional association for post-primary school leaders in Ireland. We provide a united voice for principals and deputy principals on issues of common concern across all three post-primary education sectors. While our written submission makes comments under the five headings, I will primarily focus in my opening statement on the science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, subjects in post-primary schools.

In post-primary schools, there are a suite of STEM subjects offered to all students. At junior cycle, some of them are compulsory such as mathematics and very often science, whereas others are optional, such as materials technology wood or metal, technical graphics and technology. At senior cycle only, only maths is compulsory while physics, chemistry, biology, construction studies, engineering and design communication graphics are optional. Students get to choose the optional subjects they like and the subjects they feel they are good at. As a result, students generally do well in these subjects because they have chosen them. Having said that, we do not, of course, want to undermine the significance of the humanities subjects as we endeavour to deliver a well-rounded and holistic educational experience to all students. STEM and humanities subjects are not mutually exclusive and, I would argue, are indeed complementary. All subjects can encourage and enhance the STEM skills such as problem solving and critical thinking.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, in a paper published in 2019 entitled "Exploring STEM Competencies for the 21st Century" outlines its belief that the core feature of STEM is the use of science, technical and engineering knowledge to solve daily or societal problems. This vision for STEM will make STEM more meaningful and relevant to all students. However, the development of the STEM skills and, indeed, the future of STEM cannot be seen as the sole responsibility of the STEM subject teacher, and the cross-curricular utilisation of the STEM skills are the key to building the culture where a positive attitude is cultivated towards STEM thereby building confidence in all students.

We are in the unfortunate position in Irish education at this time that STEM subjects are not universally available to all students. It is the aspirational intention of the Department of Education in its Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 to ensure equality of opportunity for all students. There are significant challenges around this with regard to STEM. Some schools do not have specialist rooms for some STEM subjects, for example, and this would require significant investment. In addition, there are shortages of specialist teachers trained in some of the STEM subjects. While initiatives are under way to attempt to address these shortfalls in qualified teachers, progress is ongoing and it is also becoming challenging.

The reformed junior cycle prioritises skill development and the STEM skills that I outlined earlier are central to all aspects of the junior cycle. This prioritisation of skill development over knowledge retention is lost once the students enter senior cycle. The continued significance of the terminal exam and the selection procedures for higher education continue to impact on the curriculum at senior cycle. Senior cycle is currently out of line with the junior cycle and the primary curriculum. It is a matter of urgency that we expedite meaningful senior cycle reform to bring coherence to our system and give students the freedom to explore the STEM skills of problem solving, critical thinking and collaborative learning.

In addition, to further break down the barriers to participation in higher education, the development of pathways for every student must be pursued. Removing the cliff edge of the leaving certificate, creating adequate pathways for all and affording students the opportunities to pursue their passion are key. We must give students the opportunity to explore and pursue inquiry-based learning or phenomenon-based learning and give them time to discuss, reflect and grow in confidence and competence.

Finally, in order to deliver on inclusion in our system, we need to put our heads together to remove the barriers to participation for all students. A number of initiatives are currently being undertaken to encourage traditionally under-represented groups to participate in STEM such as Pathways to Technology, PTECH, in Dublin’s north inner-city, which links students from disadvantaged backgrounds to technology qualifications and careers, the Choose Tech programme, which is an initiative of Fastrack into Information Technology, FIT, that encourages young people to work in the technology sector and the STEM Passport for Inclusion initiative that is operated by Maynooth University to encourage girls in DEIS schools to get a STEM qualification.

They are all excellent pilot initiatives and are all very successful. Is it time to look at enhancing these initiatives to broaden their reach and engage more students, and build confidence in marginalised groups in Irish society and to remove the remaining barriers and build real equity and inclusion in our education system?