Mr. David Duffy:

On behalf of the TUI, I thank the committee for the opportunity to make this submission on the topic of STEM education. Ireland rightly recognises the work of peacemakers like Hume, writers like Casey and Wilde, poets like Yeats, artists like Le Brocquy and musicians like U2. However, how many of us speak of Nobel laureates like William Campbell or Ernest Walton? How often do any of us speak of Tyndall, Hamilton or Kelvin?

Every subject and programme has value. The post primary curriculum should continue to be broadly based. School and college timetables are finite and hence, a zero sum game when students are choosing subjects. Choosing one subject means not choosing another - possibly STEM - subject. If new and valuable subjects are added to a curriculum, schools and colleges need resources to prevent the loss of resources from existing subjects and courses.

Ireland has a well respected education system despite historic under investment. Ireland performs well on international comparisons regarding STEM and has the highest level of STEM graduates of any member of the EU. In the Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, 2018, students in Ireland were significantly above the OECD average in science and mathematics. Equally, performance by students in Irish schools was strong in Progress in International Reading and Literacy, PIRLS, in 2016, with students in Ireland performing very highly in digital literacy. Second year students in Ireland were among the highest performers in both science and maths among the more than 30 countries that participated in the Trends in International and Science Study, TIMSS, in 2019.

The one notable negative for Ireland is our performance in terms of whether very high-achieving students in Ireland are being sufficiently challenged.

Learner engagement with STEM is very high in post-primary, further education and training and higher education. Schools, colleges of further education and the institute of technology-technological university sector play a key role in this. Apprenticeships in the institute of technology-technological university sector also play a key role.

There is widespread recognition of a teacher supply crisis. Studies by management bodies, teacher unions and State agencies all speak of this. Student numbers in both post-primary and further and higher education are continuing to rise significantly, thereby increasing the need for qualified teachers and lecturers. The TUI has long made clear that the duration and both financial and opportunity cost of initial teacher education discourages people from choosing teaching careers. Precarious employment, especially in tertiary education, makes teaching and lecturing even less appealing, as do large class sizes.

The education system at all levels is performing very well in the area of STEM. We can, however, improve. I started by saying that we need an education system that is funded and equipped to nurture great figures such as Hamilton, Kelvin, Walton and Campbell. However, we also need an education system that can nurture towering figures in music, art, sport, humanities, etc. The only limit to achievement in STEM in Ireland is our imagination and, of course, the resourcing available.

The TUI would like to make a number of recommendations to the committee. There needs to be smaller student-staff ratios in all sectors of the education system. Exchequer funding of the education system must be dramatically increased starting with a gradual move over three years upward towards the international average for investment in education as a percentage of GDP. Additional targeted teacher allocation should be given to schools so that small schools can provide STEM subjects with small classes and thereby equitably maintain student choice and equality of opportunity. This additional teacher allocation could be provided by way of curricular concession. Curricular concession should also be provided where schools wish to provide new subjects such as computer science. Additional supports should be given to schools that do not have access to business locally. Equity across the education system is important. Additional staffing of guidance services in schools, further education colleges, higher education institutions and the adult guidance service would be helpful. The combined physics-chemistry course in the leaving certificate should continue to exist. More progression pathways should be recognised. More teacher continuous professional development, CPD, should be available within schooltime and that CPD should be of the highest quality. Society needs to cease being proud of being poor at maths or science.

There needs to be a significant increase in the quantum of middle management posts. The forthcoming TG4 children’s channel should broadcast educational and entertaining shows about STEM. Society needs to recognise that STEM does not just happen in multinational companies; it happens in every hospital laboratory testing patients for cancer, in food safety centres and in medicine. Schools should be allowed to pay the subject association membership fees of their staff. Additional support should be given to gifted and talented students. Apprenticeships should be valued more by society.

I thank the committee for listening to this opening statement. The TUI would be more than happy to answer any questions that members may have. The TUI would also like to direct the committee to the more extensive written submission we made to it last week, which provides more detail on the issues outlined above.