Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Deputy Sherlock on his activities to date as Minister of State with responsibility for science and innovation and on the passion he has put into his work. I know his father, looking down, will be very proud of him.

Science Week promises to be a very beneficial initiative to bring science closer to the people. Science Week also awards us the unique opportunity to examine the role science can play in addressing major societal challenges such as poverty and hunger. While science plays a central role in the lives of everyone, it is important that we use this initiative to bring science closer to our younger people in particular.

I am hopeful that national Science Week 2013 encourages participating students to become more engaged with science subjects because I believe science is a core part of employment creation and retention. We must rethink science education in our schools in order to ensure scientific subjects become a more attractive option for our young students. As the Minister of State also has responsibility in the Department of Education and Skills, I urge him to address the very important aspect of curriculum development and reform of STEM subjects. Concentrating efforts to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics more vibrant and interesting subjects to students in our primary and secondary level schools and colleges must be a key objective for the Government.

In the Irish societal context, rethinking our education system must be a high priority to ensure our young people are prepared for the very different world and jobs market they will be facing in the future. I suggest that we make STEM subjects more practical. I watched a programme on Discovery Channel the other night which explained the way the earth, moon and sun interact to teenagers. One child acted as the sun, another as the moon and so on, and the programme explained the concept in a simple way that made it very comprehensible, rather than just having those involved read theoretically from a book on how the solar system works. It was fascinating and I wish I had learned it like that at school. Giving students something they can reach out and touch, and get excited about while in the classroom, will keep them engaged with the subject matter.

Last week in this House, I spoke about the brilliant German system of dual education. The German dual education system requires that students spend up to 70% of their time in third level in the workplace of offices, shop floors and foundries in an apprenticeship capacity and the remaining 30% in the classroom. I raise this with the Minster of State in his dual capacity in regard to research and innovation and also in regard to education and skills because I believe it is urgent that we establish a similar system in Ireland. We are behind the times in our narrow-minded focus on preparation for the jobs that are available in the market. It is clear that education which adopts an enhanced practical approach is working. Angela Merkel and David Cameron have expressed the belief that the German system of dual education, which champions a practical approach, is the best way to tackle youth unemployment.

Science Week 2013 is an important part of Discover Science and Engineering, DSE, which is Ireland's national science awareness programme. The programme aims to contribute to Ireland's growth and development as a knowledge economy, keeping us among the world's most competitive economies so that we can attract foreign direct investment. If this ideal is to become a reality, the Government must do the groundwork to ensure that enough of our young people choose careers in the relevant sectors.

It is vitally important that initiatives such as Science Week assist young people at all levels of education to recognise the very promising career opportunities that are available in the enterprise economy and realistically attainable through the study of science. Over the past decade, Ireland has built a quality research capability. The time is now right to more aggressively develop the translational part of the discovery-to-delivery continuum. Ireland is excelling in a range of key scientific disciplines such as immunology, nano technology, materials science, genetics and genomics. Initiatives such as Science Week give us an opportunity to promote the progress that we have made and highlight the future possibilities a career in science can offer our young people. Research and innovation are of critical importance when one considers their potential role in contributing to economic recovery and growth. This is why we must prioritise intensifying the relationship between science and our primary, second, third and fourth level students in order to nurture and encourage a new generation of researchers and innovators who will create enterprise, jobs and growth within our economy.