BRIAN MOONEY'S ADVICE CENTRE:The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs has recently issued a report making a series of recommendations aimed at improving the overall performance of students studying maths in Irish schools and colleges.

Many of its recommendations are extremely useful, but the one that received the most media attention, that there should be a system of bonus points for those taking higher level maths, is a deeply flawed one.

This argument, which has been widely promoted by Engineering Ireland, the ICT industry, Ibec and others, is based on the false premise that there is a competitive process among second-level students to secure places in programmes requiring higher level maths.

This is not the case. If you examine the entry points requirements for science, engineering and ICT courses, you will observe that they have been decreasing over a number of years.

Students seeking entry to science programmes in UCD and NUI Galway in 2008 secured places on points scores of 300 and 280 respectively. Those seeking places in electrical and electronic engineering programmes in UCC and DCU secured entry on 300 and 255 points respectively.

Offering bonus points in higher level maths to students will not increase the take-up of places in science, engineering and technology programmes.

Students are not taking up places in these programmes because they lack points – rather, they are avoiding these programmes out of a lack of interest in these disciplines. Offering them bonus points is not going to have any effect in increasing the take-up of careers in science, engineering and technology.

How then do you increase the uptake in higher level maths among second-level students?

- The new Project Maths curriculum, which has been launched in a number of pilot schools in September 2008, should, if successful, increase students’ interest in mathematics as a subject.

But in the present economic circumstances, this project may not receive sufficient funding to enable it to be properly integrated into the entire second-level education system. Teachers may not receive the level of in-service education in the new maths curriculum to ensure effective delivery of the programme in our schools.

If the Government wants to see Irish school students increasing their performance in maths so that they can emulate the performance of Finland, who top the PISA maths performance chart, they will have to ensure that Project Maths receives sufficient resources to integrate it fully into our second-level system.

- The Forfás report refers to the Department of Education inspectorate report Beginning to Teach (2005), which stated that 28 per cent of new primary teachers felt themselves “poorly prepared” to teach mathematics.

One of the worst decisions ever made by an Irish Government was taken in the mid-1980s, when one of our greatest resources in training teachers for our primary school system, Carysfort College of Education in Blackrock, Co Dublin, was closed down as a cost-saving measure.

Since that date, the remaining teacher-training colleges have been attempting to train far more teachers than they have the resources to deal with.

Trainee teachers have recounted to me tales of having to rush to lectures to avoid having to stand or sit on the floor due to overcrowding. Over the past number of years, the percentage of students attending third level at undergraduate level has increased substantially, but without a corresponding increase in funding to the colleges.

This has led to huge pressure on our universities and institutes of technology to maintain the quality of teaching and tutorial support to students.

The Government needs to realise that the quality of maths teaching in schools is directly related to the level of teacher-training in our universities and colleges of education.

If you provide trainee teachers with a “yellow pack” education, you will end up with “yellow pack” teaching, in maths and all other subjects.

- Thousands of students who have studied higher level maths throughout their secondary-school careers drop down to ordinary level in the weeks preceding the Leaving Certificate, if not on the day of the examination itself.

They do so out of fear of failing the exam, which would have dire consequences for their educational and career prospects.

The Forfás report suggests a simple solution to this problem, which would completely remove the fear of the consequences of failure at higher level.

The report suggests that higher level students should be allowed to sit the ordinary level paper at the end of fifth year. This suggestion has huge merit and would immediately lead to an increase in the numbers taking higher level maths. It should be implemented immediately.

- Finally, transition year is hugely important for students’ development and improves their overall academic performance, as measured by numerous research studies, but its structure is, in my experience, detrimental to students’ mathematical performance.

Schools should be authorised to continue with a rigorous maths curriculum, alongside the current transition year programme.

Brian Mooney is a guidance counsellor at Oatlands College, Dublin, and a former president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors