The forthcoming review of the way we teach maths is long overdue. If we don't start addressing the numerical deficit of many of our third-level students, the economy will suffer, writes Brendan Butler, IBEC's director of enterprise.

As the Leaving Certificate approaches, the poor performance of students in maths is already being lamented in the media.

Recent reports suggest that third-level institutions are unhappy with the basic maths ability of first-year students. The business community is also concerned. The low number of students taking honours maths is having a knock-on effect on the numbers taking science and engineering at third level.

Top Irish employers in the high-tech, pharmaceutical and medical devices sectors rely on a steady stream of graduates with strong numerical skills, and future investment could be jeopardised without them.

Since last year's exams, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has carried out an extensive review of the maths curriculum. This is the first review of the subject since the 1960s, and is long overdue. The final report is due shortly and will hopefully lead to much needed changes.

Last year nearly 4,500 students did not achieve a pass grade in ordinary-level maths, while approximately 5,500 students sat the foundation-level exam. The percentage of students achieving a minimum of a grade C at higher level has also declined by 6 per cent since 1984.

This drop is particularly worrying given that results have improved dramatically in the nine other most popular subjects at higher level over the same period. In English, for example, the number of students achieving higher-level grades has increased by 12 per cent since 1994.

A major concern is that students are opting for ordinary-level maths to concentrate on maximising their points in other subjects. Currently the numbers of students taking maths at higher level is proportionately lower than those taking higher levels in other subjects.

Higher-level maths is perceived to be a difficult subject and the domain of an elite few. Strong evidence will be needed to persuade young people, under pressure to achieve high points, that it is to their benefit to invest time and effort into higher-level maths.

Students have yet to be convinced that maths is needed in all occupations and life situations. Given that our society is now so heavily dependent on technology - an area that is reliant on the rudiments of mathematics - the relevance of maths needs to be constantly reinforced.

The consequences of underachievement in maths are enormous. Many careers, in science and technology for example, require specific mathematical knowledge. The analytical and abstract reasoning skills developed through the study of maths is also of enormous use in virtually any career.

Ireland's recent economic success is due largely to the foresight of earlier governments, which invested hugely in education. With increased globalisation and intense competition from competitor economies, the need to continue improving the education system has never been more important. According to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which has been charged with identifying the needs of tomorrow's economy, skills will remain our most sustainable competitive advantage in the years ahead.

Today's working world requires people to be adaptable, be team players and possess problem-solving skills. These are all skills that begin development in the school system and are further cultivated during third-level education, or indeed in the workplace.

While the development of these key skills is taking place in the education system, students are often oblivious to this fact. The school system focuses on subject-based knowledge and aims to get students through a points-based system. Indeed, the more enterprising teachers who try to deviate from the standard to introduce a more skills-based approach are often met with resistance from diligent students, focused on the points race.

In a recent HEA-funded project on transferable skills, employers ranked enthusiasm, personal qualities and transferable skills as the top qualities they were looking for in new recruits. Specialist subject knowledge was ranked seventh.

Transferable skills include problem solving, numeracy, IT skills, analytical thinking, critical thinking, project management - all of which can be developed through the study of maths. In Ireland, however, maths tends to be taught in a procedural manner with little or no reference to its application in, or relevance to daily life.

If Ireland is to help achieve the ambitious EU target of creating the largest knowledge-based economy by 2010 then we need clearly to identify and stress the role of maths in preparing workers and citizens for this knowledge society.

Opening the minds of both teachers and students to a new approach to maths is needed. Many maths teachers are only familiar with the discipline in academic terms, having gone directly from university back into the classroom. Students are failing to grasp the everyday relevance of trigonometry or algebra beyond the exams, and how the skills they develop through the study of maths can be applied in other parts of their lives.

While the syllabuses of other subjects have been modernised to reflect changes in society - most notably Irish with the introduction of more modern literature - the maths syllabus has not moved with the times.

It is anticipated that the publication of the maths review will be received with great interest. However, the review should not be a stand-alone exercise, but should be seen in the context of a wider reform of the Leaving Certificate.

Taking the emphasis off the points race and giving students the opportunity to choose subjects based on the learning experience they offer, rather than the grade they hope to get at the end of their time at school, will have longer term benefits.

Getting the message out to young people, that the skills derived from learning maths are crucial to their future success, is the key.