Ask educators about the growing lack of interest in physics and chemistry on the part of both second- and third-level students and they'll point to a myriad of reasons.

Ask students, and many of them will tell you, quite simply, that these are boring subjects, boringly taught.

A survey conducted last year among sixth year students in the Limerick area on why they had avoided chemistry and physics, highlights outdated courses, inaccessible language and dull teaching methodologies.

"Between 1987 and 1997, the number of students doing Leaving Cert chemistry has declined dramatically - from 20.8 per cent to 12 per cent of the total Leaving Cert cohort," comments Dr Peter Childs of UL's department of chemical and environmental sciences. "Over this same period the total numbers staying on at school to complete Leaving Cert have increased.

"Physics has shown a similar decline [from 21.2 per cent to 15.9 per cent] whereas biology has remained the most popular science subject, taken by up to 55 per cent of Leaving Cert students." This year saw a further decline: fewer than 7,000 students sat Leaving Cert chemistry, while just over 9,000 took physics.

In another survey conducted in five second-level schools in "a medium-sized Irish town", all of which offer Leaving Cert chemistry, more than half the students identified biology as the easiest of the science subjects. Students were asked to rank the reasons they chose a particular subject in order of priority.

Interest in the subject came first, followed by good employment prospects, the fact that it was a third-level requirement, how easy it was to get good marks in and, finally, liking the teacher who taught the subject. "Students know they need to study at least one science subject, but they are choosing to study the one which they perceive to be the easiest and least mathematical," observes Childs.

"Chemistry and physics both lose out here. Although students see the relevance and usefulness of chemistry in everyday life, they do not appear to see it as relevant to their careers."

Student choice is also affected by the perception of some school principals that chemistry is difficult and too mathematical, he says. While guidance counsellors come in for some criticism, the industry is also at fault, educators say.

"The chemical and pharmaceutical industry employs about 12,000 people and is on the way to 16,000," comments Dr Jim Slevin, who is NUI Maynooth's professor of experimental physics.

"Students know very little about the chemical industry. They don't advertise or recruit aggressively. They keep their heads down and, as a result, people are largely unaware of their existence."

"The problem of the decrease in chemistry and physics participation is not peculiar to Ireland," says Dr Philip Mathews, who lectures in education at TCD.

"Many countries have the same problem. They were worried about it in the US in the 1960s and they're still worried about it. Britain also has a problem getting people into science." "The fall in numbers taking physics and chemistry," Slevin notes, "is potentially the biggest long-term threat to Ireland's ability to develop as a knowledge-based society. We have a very big chemical industry in Ireland, but not enough chemists and physicists."

When it comes to Leaving Cert science, teachers, too, come in for considerable criticism. They have been charged with being boring. But is this fair and is it accurate? No, say many educators. However, as far physics and chemistry are concerned, the fact that the majority of science teachers are now biologists is a major problem. Although official figures are unavailable, Seamus McManus, who is chairman of the Irish Science Teachers Association, confirms that the association boasts 1,200 members and that the number of teachers with biology qualifications has increased, while those with physics and chemistry have decreased.

Peter Childs estimates that no more than 20 people with physics or chemistry degrees embark on HDips each year. How can they biologists inspire and enthuse students in physics and chemistry, asks TCD provost Tom Mitchell, when they have spent only one year of a degree course studying physics and chemistry? For Mitchell, the key to a lack of interest in science at third level is the experience they get at school. The real problem, however, is at Junior Cert level, many educators argue.

While many chemists and physicists teach their subjects at Leaving Cert, the majority of teachers teaching Junior Cert science are biologists. "There is a shortage of well-trained physics and chemistry teachers in our schools," says Slevin.

"There's a need for more physics and chemistry graduates to be attracted into the profession - we have not been putting the case strongly to our graduates."

Clearly, graduates are being lured away to lucrative jobs in industry. However, as one educator points out, even if qualified chemistry and physics teachers leave their posts, they are unlikely to be replaced, due largely to falling enrolments. In some schools, he says, chemistry is no longer offered because of insufficient numbers. "The country is crying out for more physics and science teachers but the number of full-time incremental posts is far fewer than the number of qualified people coming into the profession." How can we expect highly qualified young people to become teachers, if they have no certainty of getting permanent jobs? Unless some action is taken, it is anticipated that the situation will worsen - large numbers of physics and chemistry teachers will be reaching retirement age in the next few years, this source says.

The survey of five schools in a medium-sized Irish town, shows that teachers view the Junior Cert science course as the most important factor affecting student choice. "Science is a single subject combining biology, chemistry, physics and applied science and there is very little chemistry in it," notes Childs. "The chemistry is not very exciting and is usually taught by teachers, whose major subject is biology," and, he says, "in most schools it's not taught with experimental work."

The lack of experimentation is a major problem. "Irish students' experience of practical science is poor, as is the average level of facilities in Irish schools," Childs comments. "Although practical work is considered to be motivating and fun by students, the lack of exposure in the first years of second-level puts many students off science." While the £15 million for the upgrading of school labs and in-service for science teachers announced by Minister Micheal Martin last March is welcome, educators argue it is insufficient. Regular in-service training is necessary - and the Government should offer incentives to encourage teachers to avail of it, Tom Mitchell suggests.

Lab assistants are vital. "Science teachers have fulltime jobs," says Childs, "yet they are expected to run labs without technical assistance. Every secondary school in Britain has technical assistance to run technical workshops and labs. "You can't run science labs without assistance - it's no good putting cash into schools for labs, if you don't provide back-up to make use of them."

Junior Cert science is a single subject feeding into at least five Leaving Cert subjects: physics, biology, chemistry, agricultural science and physics with chemistry are all resting on a single foundation, he notes.

"Science is being sold out at Junior Cert level."

In Britain, he says, students spend twice as much time on general science as they do in the Republic.

"In England they do two-thirds of a full subject, while we do only one-third. But in Britain, they're saying that even two-thirds is insufficient."