The points required for science courses in most third-level colleges have fallen again this year as concern grows about declining interest among students.
One of the biggest drops was in one of the most popular science courses at University College Dublin, which dropped 45 points to 345 in round one.
Science at other colleges also dropped. For example, at Trinity College Dublin it dropped by 20 points to 405, at Dublin City University it dropped 10 to 355 and at NUI Galway it fell by 30 to 330 points.
The registrar of UCD, Dr Caroline Hussey, a microbiologist, told The Irish Times she hoped a new curriculum in physics and chemistry would help to increase interest among second-level students. "It must be remembered that the cut-off points for this year at UCD are 345, which is still six honours," she said. One trend the university had noted was the lower number of female students taking science and she said this had to be tackled.
The drop in points for science courses had been predicted after the Central Applications Office disclosed a few weeks ago that overall applications for science had fallen, despite a vigorous promotion campaign by the Government.
While points for general science courses were down, there were similar falls in science teaching courses For example, the science education course at DCU fell by 20 points to 365. In its first year, the physics and chemistry teaching degree at the University of Limerick required 400 points.
Some of the falls in science courses are due to an increase in places in some colleges, but most are the result of a drop in the number of applications. Also relevant was the overall drop in the numbers applying for degree courses, down to 53,642 from 54,988 in 1999.
Another problem has been recruiting teachers of science at second level. UCD, the largest university in the State, has only about five or 10 science graduates taking the Higher Diploma in Education each year.
According to many education sources, the comparatively low salaries available to teachers in their early years puts many science graduates off. To deal with this the British authorities now pay science teachers extra.
This has been resisted by teachers' unions here, although some reports submitted to Government have suggested such a course.