Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter. I welcome the Minister of State to the House. The recent job opportunities announced by the Department, IDA Ireland and others have highlighted the change in the Irish economy and also the need for a cohort of skilled graduates in the areas of science and engineering. We must ask ourselves two questions in that regard. How is Ireland positioned in terms of the degree courses we offer and how can we ensure we are maximising the opportunities for our younger people to allow them get employment here? We must start that process at the primary and second level curriculum and look specifically at science and innovation and our mathematics and science curricula.

There is an interest in this area. One only has to consider the BT Young Scientist Exhibition held every year in the RDS to know there is a wealth of creativity and innovation among our young people, as demonstrated clearly at that event. In my part of the world the University of Limerick was to the fore in developing degree courses that reflected the needs of the economy at the time and there were successful job announcements over the years in the Limerick area as a result, but year in, year out, following the leaving certificate and junior certificate results, employers' groups, teachers, parents and others express concern about the numbers of students studying mathematics at higher level and the numbers studying science, particularly the sciences of physics, chemistry and physics and chemistry combined.

A holistic examination of that area will have to be done involving the Department, employers, parents, teachers and other stakeholders in terms of developing it in the future. The Minister of State will probably refer to the fact that the junior certificate syllabus will be examined again by the Department but we are almost unique in Europe in that we are one of the only countries in the European Union which does not require science to be studied as a mandatory subject at junior level.

The statistics speak for themselves. The numbers taking up higher level mathematics fell from just under 18% to just over 15% between 2006 to 2011 and for applied mathematics, which is essential for many people going into civil engineering, electronic engineering and so on, the decrease is 2%. It is obvious there is a problem in that regard.

There was a move recently to examine Project Maths and bonus points in terms of the uptake of mathematics at higher level, but I do not believe that is the only answer. There is a temptation, and I have said this directly to the Minister and the Minister of State, to dumb down the mathematics curriculum in the hope that more people will take up the subject, but we must look beyond that. Recently, the Department found itself in an embarrassing situation when it could not tell how many people were qualified to teach higher level mathematics. That raises the question of how many people are qualified to teach physics, chemistry or applied mathematics in second level schools.

There is also a temptation to overload the curriculum. Already at primary level there are 12 subjects on the curriculum from junior infants to sixth class, and 26 subjects are available at junior certificate level, although science is not mandatory.

The Minister of State will probably refer when replying to the change in terms of rote learning and so on but it is not that long since I was in school and up to junior certificate level, and other Deputies will recall this also, one was not allowed use a calculator. Students can now use a calculator at primary level with the result that students are coming out of primary school unable to do basic tables, arithmetic or even basic sums in their heads. We then wonder why students at leaving certificate level are not taking on higher level mathematics. Unfortunately, it is because in many cases the basic concepts are not being taught.

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