Mary White (Fianna Fail)

——to come to the House and explain his vision for the teaching of mathematics and science. A report by the national centre for excellence in mathematics and science suggests maths teachers in secondary school are not qualified to teach the subject. I am deeply concerned that some 35% of maths teachers are not qualified to teach the subject. Students at all levels of ability require the best teachers to reach their potential. The report outlines that some 65% of younger teachers, aged 35 years and under, are not qualified to teach maths in secondary school.

Last week in the Mansion House, Dr. Craig Barrett the former chief executive and chairman of Intel, referred to the issue of education and competitiveness in Ireland. He stated he was very concerned about the quality of education in Ireland. The quality of education was one of the reasons Intel came to Ireland 20 years ago. He further stated education in Ireland is not what it used to be and he believes this will have a significant effect on continued foreign direct investment. The national report on the quality of education was reinforced by the OECD PISA report. It examined 15-year olds across 57 countries and shows Ireland is only average in the OECD at mathematics and science. For God's sake, how can we compete if we are not top of the class and the best in the world at mathematics and science, bearing in mind the new nanotechnology to be developed in the future? The Minister for Education and Science should be invited to come here urgently to tell us his plans to improve the standard of mathematics and science. We have lost our hunger to be at the top.