Class sizes hindering science teaching

EFFORTS to get more children interested in science are being hindered by lack of teaching materials and overcrowded classes, according to an official report to Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe.

The review of how the primary curriculum is being implemented found that these issues also affected the teaching of Irish and social, personal and health education (SPHE), the two other curricular areas examined.

But with continuing Government and industry emphasis on getting young people to study science through to Leaving Certificate and third level, greater investment in human and capital resources emerges as a key factor from the report by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).