Fears Project Maths will lead to lower standards

The new Project Maths syllabus will “leave students wholly unprepared for the study of engineering, science, and mathematics at third level”, according to a group of leading academics.

Led by Steve Kirkland, Stokes professor of mathematics at the Hamilton Institute, NUI Maynooth, the group argues Project Maths will result in a significant lowering of standards in the second-level mathematics education system and will damage the reputation of Irish universities.

It also claims Project Maths, which is being rolled out in secondary schools from September, is “completely insufficient and unsuitable by international standards to support engineering, scientific, and mathematical education at the highest level”.