Employers call for extra points for higher level maths

THE business community has added its voice to calls for extra points for college entry for Leaving Certificate students who take higher level maths and science subjects.

Employers group IBEC backed the appeal from the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) to return to a situation whereby higher level maths candidates got bonus points when they applied to college.

Only around 10,000 of this year’s 52,000 Leaving Certificate candidates sat the higher level papers, while the one-in-eight who fail the subject at ordinary level are ineligible for most third-level courses.

Kathryn Raleigh, director of IBEC’s information technology section ICT Ireland, said the low numbers of students taking higher level maths and science subjects are causing concern to the some of the country’s top employers.

“Ireland needs its young people to have an excellent grasp of higher maths and science if we are to continue to attract high level jobs in the ICT sector, as well as growing strong Irish owned technology companies,” she said.

“As maths and science are considered particularly tough, extra points should be awarded to encourage students to take the subjects at a higher level,” said Ms Raleigh.

The RIA has suggested that up to 40 extra points could be awarded to higher level maths students in line with their grades. An equivalent upgrade was available under the old points system up to 20 years ago.

The entire senior cycle maths curriculum is being reviewed with a view to making it more relevant and attractive for young people. Education Minister Mary Hanafin has asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to make this a priority.

Only two third-level institutions offer bonus points for candidates with higher level maths, but increasing that number to encourage greater uptake might not solve the problems of poor mathematical skills.

A recent report among the country’s institutes of technology found that around one-third of students fail to finish courses in science, maths and computing. Not alone is this figure well below average, but it makes this one of the few subject areas in which completion rates have dropped in recent years.

Ms Hanafin was criticised by third-level students yesterday for her decision to award sole responsibility for operation of the maintenance grants to the country’s 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) from next year.

The move was made to streamline the processing of application and payment of grants to around 56,000 students each year.

But Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Tony McDonnell said the VECs have an abysmal record of failing to issue grant payments on time and demanded an urgent meeting with the minister.

“The student grants system is in crisis and her perverse reform plan, which avoids centralisation in favour of rewarding local government for its historic mismanaging of grants, holds the prospect of more misery next year and every year,” he said.