Maths discrimination in colleges must be challenged, says Hanafin

A MORE balanced debate is needed in relation to Leaving Certificate maths results, the country’s engineers warned yesterday.

As plans for a revised maths curriculum are prepared for Education Minister Mary Hanafin, question marks were raised about the fact that 4,073 students found out yesterday they had failed ordinary-level maths.

This, like last year, is almost one-in-eight of those who sat the paper and makes them ineligible for most third-level courses, along with 5,104 students who sat foundation-level maths.

But Engineers Ireland industry director Úna Parsons said misleading interpretations of the results have caused students to fear trying higher-level maths.

“The fact that 82% of students sitting higher-level papers got a C3 or higher, up from 78% last year, is overlooked. Furthermore, 31,400 students passed ordinary-level maths, which is a requirement for engineering technology programmes,” she said.

Ms Parsons said it is encouraging that interest in higher- level maths has remained robust, with the 17.7% of students who sat it this year barely down on last year’s figure.

Education Minister Mary Hanafin suggested that colleges with entry requirements should accept students with foundation level, as many weaker students may be forced to attempt ordinary level but are failing.

“With the exception of Galway-Mayo IT, there is almost a blanket rejection of foundation-level maths in the institutes of technology. But why do you have to have ordinary level rather than foundation maths to do recreation and leisure, social care or tourism hotel and catering?” she asked.

Ms Hanafin said it was understandable to require higher or ordinary-level maths for business or science courses, but not for courses where maths is not needed.

The minister has asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to prioritise a review of the senior cycle maths curriculum. Changes they are considering focus on encouraging students from the start of their second-level education to aim for higher-level maths, as well as revising course content and teaching methods.

Concern has also been raised about failure rates for science subjects, although they are higher among those taking ordinary-level papers. Around 7% of higher level chemistry, biology and physics students failed, but those rates rise to 15.5%, 13% and 9%, respectively, at ordinary level.

Labour Party education spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan said there would be a national outcry if the situation in maths and science was replicated in English or modern languages. “It’s time for new proposals to address how maths and science are taught and assessed. If they continue to be viewed as difficult, fewer students will take them at Leaving Certificate level and the knock-on effect for the economy will be significant,” she said.

Employers body IBEC said that while industry is doing its best to promote careers in science, the Government continues to drag its feet as most recommendations of the 2002 Task Force on Physical Sciences have yet to be implemented.