Member of group reviewing Leaving Cert maths reform resigns over 'errors and inaccuracies'

Dr Ni Shuilleabhain said the draft curriculum would not give students hoping to study maths or engineering any 'flavour of how enjoyable the subject can be and will not prepare them for further study'.

A key member of the group considering reforms for the Leaving Cert's mathematics courses has resigned saying the draft curricula produced to date "are littered with mathematical errors and inaccuracies".

Dr Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain, associate professor of mathematics education at DCU, said she resigned from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's Mathematics Development Group last June as it was "no longer something I could be part of".

In a social media post, Dr Ni Shuilleabhain said the curricula which had been produced to date and which are currently out for review "are not mathematically coherent in their structure".

Hers is the second resignation from the group over similar concerns, following the exit of Professor Pauline Mellon last January.

Asked to comment on Dr Ni Shuilleabhain's criticisms, a spokesperson for the NCCA said it is "considering the nature of expertise required on the development group" before making a decision whether or not to fill the vacancy left by her resignation.

They added the draft curricula recently published "are not final specifications", adding that over the next three months the NCCA would be "inviting wide public engagement with the draft specifications which will help to identify areas requiring further work or refinement".

In her posting, Dr Ni Shuilleabhain said the draft curriculum would not give students hoping to study maths or engineering any "flavour of how enjoyable the subject can be and will not prepare them for further study".

"The draft curricula now out for review are littered with mathematical errors and inaccuracies," she said.

"I was hopeful that a review of the curriculum would be evidence-based... and would explore what mathematical skills students might need in 10 years' time... unfortunately conversations were limited to simply removing content and shoe-horning assessments into a format that does not make sense."

Dr Ni Shuilleabhain said the development group had held "no discussions" on the issue of bonus points for Leaving Cert maths — which she said "exacerbate socioeconomic inequalities" — nor on the gender gap that currently exists at that level in the subject, with girls much less likely to achieve a top honours grade.

While she acknowledged that those subjects are "beyond the decision-making remit" of the development group, those "conversations could have contributed to the drafting process".