Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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I thank all the witnesses for sharing their expertise. This has been a really valuable session. It indicates that we ignore this at our peril. I am seriously concerned about some of the stuff that has been brought forward here but it is important to name it. The headlines will indicate that we embrace STEM, and we do this and we do that. However, some very fundamental aspects of the system obviously need to be fixed, not only because of the enormous pressure that it is putting on students, but in terms of our competitiveness, economy, problem solving, health, climate change and so many other areas. People need to sit up and listen to what the witnesses have said here this morning. I thank them for that.

Can IMTA expand on why the removal of foundation-level maths has adversely affected students who find literacy and numeracy challenging? We have been told it is a grave concern. I will ask a few questions together. There was a recommendation to incentivise teachers, through financial arrangements, to encourage more towards maths to fill the current shortage. How could this be done in a manner that is equitable to teachers of other subjects? Are there any other incentives that could be used?

I also want to ask about artificial intelligence, AI, and the delivery of STEM and what it might mean. What about regional disparities and international competitiveness in STEM and advancements in STEM?