Engineers Ireland is among the bodies that have welcomed the proposed reintroduction of bonus points for Leaving Certificate honours mathematics. But much more has to be done to improve take-up and results in this area, according to John Power, its Director General.
This week the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan, gave her backing to the reintroduction of bonus points in higher-level Leaving Cert maths.
“There is growing recognition that the ongoing problems across maths and the sciences in our education system are undermining Ireland. The possible re-introduction of bonus points for maths is to be welcomed but this is not enough in isolation.”
- John Power, Engineers Ireland
Mr Power says the problems around the subject area are complex and need fundamental changes to curriculum and teaching methodologies. Key actions would include:
- Greater resourcing of the Project Maths initiative
- The requirement for teachers to have specific education qualifications in maths and the sciences to teach these subjects
- Tax breaks for teacher retraining
ICT Ireland, the IBEC group that represents the high-tech sector, also welcomed the proposal for bonus points for maths.
