David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this matter. The specific issue I wish to raise is that of higher level mathematics in the leaving certificate. Mathematics is a very important subject for the leaving certificate. In fact, it is one of the most important subjects in our economy. I met people recently who work in an industry where mathematics is very important and they are concerned with the standards of mathematics and science in Ireland.

I put down a parliamentary question recently because I wanted to find out how many students study higher level mathematics for the leaving certificate and how many end up sitting the exam. I discovered that 10,516 students studied it in 2010, but only 8,390 actually sat the exam, so more than 2,000 students opted not to sit it. I wanted to explore why this might be the case, and I discovered that if a student fails mathematics in the leaving certificate, then many courses are closed to that student at third level. I spoke to some students and they told me this is one of the main reasons they decided not to take the examination. If they failed higher level mathematics, then they could not go to college.

There are some exceptions to this. Waterford Institute of Technology has a safety net and allows students who fail honours mathematics to do another mathematics exam to qualify. Perhaps we should look at this. Higher level mathematics can take up 25% of a pupil's study time, so if an 18 or 19 old studying higher level mathematics decides not to do the exam and drops down to the lower level, then he or she will probably get an A grade. However, this means that the drive to take on higher level mathematics is being diluted.

Perhaps we should look at a second chance, as is currently happening in WIT, so that any student who fails the exam could have the opportunity of doing it again. These students would be well capable of meeting the minimum requirements - a C3 at lower level - to get into most courses. If they fail the higher level exam they get nothing and must repeat the whole year. That is very unfair and many students are not prepared to take that risk. Can we blame them?

The Minister will talk about the bonus points for higher level mathematics and I know that there are other issues that Professor Kathleen Lynch has raised in respect of inequality, but that is another matter. Bonus points will not make a difference if the student fails. They might act as an incentive to do well, but if the student fails then he or she is precluded from many courses. If a safety net existed, most students would take the risk of doing the exam, knowing that if they failed it, they could repeat it in the autumn somewhere to get the minimum requirement that would entitle them to take the third level course. It is a small thing, but I know from talking to students and teachers that it is a big issue for many of them. It is often the reason students decide not to take the higher level course in the first place.

I am interested in what the Minister has to say. He may not have picked up in his script all the points that I made.

Maths is a very important subject and we need to encourage students to opt for it in every way we can. Bonus points alone are not enough. We need to do more. I ask the Department to consider my views in this regard.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I apologise for the inability of the Minister for Education and Skills to be here; he has asked me to take this matter for him.

Ireland's future economic growth and competitiveness will increasingly depend on the extent to which it can support high-value, knowledge-based industries. Mathematics is essential for disciplines such as science, technology, engineering and finance, but it also promotes the ability to think rationally, analyse and solve problems, and process data clearly and accurately. In a competitive global economy, it is important that Ireland moves towards the promotion of advanced levels of skills, creativity and innovation. We urgently need to improve attainment levels in mathematics generally and encourage more students to take higher level mathematics. Mathematics is an essential life skill for citizenship and for economic and social participation in an increasingly complex world.

A total of 16% of students sat higher level mathematics in the 2010 leaving certificate examination. This is down from a high of 18.9% in 2005, and is significantly out of line with participation at higher level in other subjects. For example, 33% of students sat higher level Irish, a subject in which students can also choose from three levels, and 64% sat higher level English, which has two levels. As well as those who sat higher level mathematics in the 2010 leaving certificate examination, 11.5% of students sat foundation level and 72.5% sat ordinary level. A further issue is that some 20% of students who initially applied to sit mathematics at higher level in the leaving certificate in 2010 did not take the examination at that level.

A range of factors are behind students' decisions not to take mathematics at higher level for senior cycle. Undoubtedly, workload, fear of not meeting matriculation requirements and the points race are significant factors for many. Higher education institutions have collectively agreed to operate a bonus points system for higher level mathematics for a four-year trial period from 2012 to 2015, inclusive, with a review in 2014. A bonus of 25 points will be allocated to students who achieve a grade D3 or above in leaving certificate higher level mathematics.

With regard to mathematics at junior certificate level, I expect to receive advice shortly from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on a framework for a significantly reformed junior cycle which will improve students' learning experiences, address curriculum overload, and promote creativity, innovation and learning to learn.

A major programme of reform in mathematics, Project Maths, began in all second level schools at both junior and senior cycle in September last, building on the experience of 24 schools which began the programme in 2008. Project Maths is designed to encourage better understanding of mathematics, to reinforce its practical relevance to everyday life and to ensure better curriculum continuity across the system. The initial experience in the 24 Project Maths schools in which students sat the leaving certificate in 2010 indicated a modest increase in the proportion who sat mathematics at higher level - 18.7% compared with 16.0% nationally.

The Department intends to publish shortly a national literacy and numeracy strategy which will provide a continuum of measures designed to improve performance in these critical areas. It is in our primary schools and in the early years that the foundations of learning are laid. The strategy will emphasise the key role of parents, early education settings and primary schools in supporting numeracy. Taken together, these initiatives are intended to improve attainment in mathematics and increase the numbers of students taking the higher level paper in order to better meet the needs of our economy and society.

I will consider the suggestions that have been made by Deputy Stanton on second-chance opportunities for students who have not been successful in mathematics in previous examinations, and I will convey them to the Minister for Education and Skills.