For anyone looking to be inspired and uplifted by the talent and creativity among young students today, a visit to the RDS this week is recommended. More than a thousand students have gathered to showcase their endeavours as part of this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Hundreds of projects show an admirable breadth of scientific exploration and interest in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing our world.
The exhibition, now in its 59th year, plays a key role in firing young people’s imaginations and encouraging them to pursue Stem (science, technology, engineering, maths) careers. This has benefited the country and critical industries.
Stem has never been so important. We are undergoing a technological revolution globally. If Ireland is to be at the forefront of this, we need to be a leader in developing talent in this area.
While we have many strengths in Stem education in Ireland, there are also key weaknesses. An acute shortage of teachers in subject areas such as maths and science threatens to undermine ambitious Government plans to boost the uptake of science, technology, maths and applied maths.
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Many post-primary schools report difficulties finding qualified teachers in subjects such as physics, chemistry and maths, in particular. In some cases, “out of field” teachers without the right qualifications are delivering these classes. The shortages, say teaching groups, are due to a combination of factors such as the cost of living in urban areas, more lucrative teaching posts abroad, young graduates taking up jobs in the private sector, difficulties securing full-time teaching posts at home and the cost of teacher education.
Stem education is critical to future economic growth and opening up job opportunities. If we do not have teachers with the appropriate skills to teach these subjects to the highest level, we should all be very concerned. If we are to make progress tackling this, we will need to examine moves such as funding teacher education, more permanent contracts or fast-tracking recognition for teachers abroad, as well as addressing wider issues such as affordable housing.
The BT Young Scientist exhibition is a magnificent platform for school students to share extraordinary ideas. It grew from the foresight of two UCD physics researchers who saw the value in hands-on learning, outside the four walls of the classroom. We will need similar foresight to tackle the lack of supply of qualified teachers.
Key to delivering on our ambition will be the ability of our education system to adapt to a transformed economy and society. Our children must be equipped with the necessary analytical, creativity and critical thinking skills to thrive in such an environment. Ensuring we have a pipeline of highly qualified educators in key subjects is vital to realising this.