School cuts in subjects ‘may affect investment’

The dropping of Leaving Certificate subjects by schools faced with staffing cuts could be damaging to the country’s chances of international investment, the chairman of the Higher Education Authority has said.

John Hennessy was responding to a survey among second-level principals that shows almost two thirds of schools are considering removing, or reducing provision for, a range of subjects because of budget cuts.

The HEA chairman said it would be regrettable, given the importance of maths and science to Ireland’s future, if the long-term consequences of reduced student choice were ignored by school managers faced with tough decisions.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) survey published on Wednesday found that almost half of schools have already dropped at least one subject for Leaving Cert — most commonly accounting, economics, or physics — due to earlier cutbacks.

With an effective increase in pupil-teacher ratio next September through changes to how guidance staff are allocated, 64% of schools are considering dropping one or more subjects because of timetabling restrictions.

Accounting, chemistry, physics, and economics are most likely to be cut.

Mr Hennessy said there was a need now, more than ever, to think outside the confines of traditional approaches, to continue offering a broad range of subject choices.

He said IDA Ireland has identified Ireland’s talent pool among the features that keep drawing multinational companies here.

“As many countries, including Ireland, must continue to compete aggressively for whatever foreign capital is out there, suggestions that provision in areas such as accounting, chemistry, physics, and economics could be reduced are short-sighted and potentially damaging to our international reputation,” he said.

Mr Hennessy said recent CAO statistics showed the numbers applying to science and technology-relevant college courses had continued to rise.

“Restricting these students’ future options, particularly in school areas where small numbers were seeking certain crucial Leaving Certificate subjects, would have a long-lasting effect.

“That we would drain Ireland’s future talent pool in order to over-water subject areas for which there may be less long-term skills demand is completely the wrong message to send out on national or international airwaves.”

However, Teachers’ Union of Ireland president Bernie Ruane said there would be a deficit in guidance and welfare support and loss of subject options, as well as the teaching of higher and ordinary-level students in the same classes, due to the inclusion of guidance provision within schools’ teacher allocations for the first time.

“It is not alarmist to suggest that we could see a rise in problems such as a rise in truancy and student drop- out as a result of further cuts to the pastoral and support framework of schools.”