Reforms to curriculum need ‘urgent’ implementation
Fine Gael education spokesperson Olwyn Enright called on Education Minister Mary Hanafin and the Government to implement long overdue reforms suggested in the 2002 Task Force on Physical Sciences.
While most subjects showed results in keeping with previous years, trends in French and geography showed high failure rates.
The number of students taking the latest Junior Certificate science syllabus has risen to seven out of eight but a mere 10% of them received As again this year, compared with 14% under the previous syllabus. The proportion getting an honours grade (A, B or C) is lower than last year. There was also a slight drop in the numbers taking higher level maths, as curriculum advisers continued their review of the present system.
Ms Enright said problems with maths and science at second level are having negative ramifications higher up the education chain in third level.
“But the Government has failed to implement all of the recommendations of the Task Force on Physical Sciences or implement long overdue common-sense reforms like bringing science participation at Junior Certificate level up to 100%,” she said.
The Fine Gael spokesperson also said the Government should ensure all second level schools offered the full range of science subjects at Leaving Certificate, allocated lab technicians to clusters of schools to support science teaching and brought forward root and branch reform of maths teaching and learning.
She said it was worrying that so many students lost out on marks as they were not assessed on practical work supposed to be carried out during the school year, as highlighted in the Irish Examiner yesterday.
“The minister’s response that she would encourage students to take every aspect of the exam is uninspiring. It is her responsibility to ensure that students are sufficiently engaged with the subject and aware of the need to participate in all aspects of the syllabus, including practical work,” said Ms Enright.
She said increasing numbers of students failing foundation level English also showed that primary and second level schools needed extra language support.
Ms Hanafin and Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin both expressed their encouragement with the increased uptake of the new science syllabus, which was examined for the second time this summer. It is designed to give pupils a more practical approach to the subject and encourage more to study physics and chemistry for their Leaving Certificate.
Employers group IBEC yesterday called for a junior cycle programme that is focused on child development and stresses social, emotional, physical and aesthetic development.
“The Junior Certificate puts too much emphasis on learning information off by heart, which education experts suggest fails to develop a child’s multiple intelligences,” said IBEC head of social and education policy Tony Donohoe.
“Significant numbers of children find it more difficult to successfully negotiate the move from primary to second level school and there has been little effort to change the Junior Certificate programme to address these concerns.”
