Standards warning - Time for an education reality check

THE declining standards argument about social, moral and educational systems is as old as society itself but that does not mean we can afford to ignore those who would add their voice to that time-honoured but often derided discourse.

Donal Hurley, senior lecturer at University College Cork’s maths department, is the latest to add his tuppence worth to the debate, claiming that far too many students begin their third-level education without a sufficient understanding or competency in maths.

The figures bear out that contention. There is a very high failure rate at ordinary level and only one in six Leaving Certificate students sit higher level maths. Last year more than 4,000 out of 35,000 students failed ordinary level maths. That means that more than one in 10 could not pass a fairly basic maths exam. It is hard to imagine that anyone, least of all the teachers or the students, finds this acceptable.