The Republic will be unable to compete for high-tech investment if the Government does not reverse the sharp decline in interest among students in science, the IDA has warned.
The development body says the State's industrial strategy will not work unless there is an immediate increase in the study of physics and chemistry at second level.
It has called for a range of measures to deal with the situation. Among them is giving students extra CAO points for chemistry and physics and a new general science course at Leaving Cert level.
The views of an influential body such as the IDA will put further pressure on the Department of Education to make changes in the provision of science at second level. One of the biggest high-tech employers, Intel, has already expressed unhappiness with the status of science in schools.
The IDA's demands are in its submission to the Task Force on the Physical Sciences which is expected to report shortly.
The IDA submission says the situation is so critical that a high- level body should be set up immediately to implement the recommendations of the task force, chaired by the former president of DCU, Dr Danny O'Hare.
The IDA submission is strongly critical of the current provision of science in schools. It says the subjects are regarded by students as "too academic" and too difficult to score high points in.
It says the majority of science teachers are biologists, who have not majored in physics or chemistry. It says there is little focus on practical experiments in schools. It says the best way to correct this is to have practicals as part of the Junior and Leaving Cert exams.
It says many science teachers are dissatisfied with their role and there is much "burn-out" in the profession. It says the focus in many schools has switched to biology, because it is seen as a more interesting subject in which students can score highly.
It says the pay of science teachers is low compared to their equivalents in industry, which means science graduates are not attracted to doing a HDip and working as teachers.
It says two measures which could help are conversion courses for biology teachers so they can teach physics or chemistry and career breaks for science teachers in industry so they can keep up to date with developments.
It also says industry should have a regular input into the curriculum because the chemistry and physics syllabi are not relevant enough.
In a section likely to prove controversial the submission says career guidance teachers are not well enough informed about the opportunities in the physical sciences and consequently students do not have enough information. It says promotional work in schools by industry would be the best way to tackle this.
On its proposal for a general science subject at Leaving Cert level, it says it is important that "all students leaving secondary education have a good general understanding of science irrespective of which profession they follow".
It recommends that a general science programme "building on the current Junior Cert programme" should replace the current combined Physics and Chemistry Leaving Cert course.