Madam, - Of the 57,000 Leaving Certificate candidates this year, approximately 27,000 sat biology and a mere 7,000 or so sat physics. The low numbers studying physics at secondary level has been discussed for more than a decade, yet such analysis does not reveal the true scale of the problem Ireland now faces.
The shocking reality is that only 200 students will enter the State's third-level system in 2008 to study physics as their major subject. Students continue to shun the physics options in later years of "common entry" science programmes, and many "full" physics degree programmes are now counting student numbers in the single digits.
Assuming the national statistics apply to science, around 20 per cent of those 200 students will not progress to the end of their degrees. About half of the remaining students will enter the workforce with bachelor degrees and the rest will continue on to pursue MSc and PhD qualifications.
In short, of the total pool of 57,000 students in 2008, we can expect to have approximately 30 Irish PhD-level physics researchers graduating in the year 2016. Only 26 per cent of science teachers studied physics, and 28 per cent of our maths teachers did not actually study maths at third-level. If such figures do not worry a nation supposedly intent on building a "knowledge-based economy", then we are in serious difficulties.
One issue that must be addressed is false information and negative perception. Your Education Editor Sean Flynn claims that the Expert Skills Group on Information and Communication Technologies has concluded that "students taking maths, physics and chemistry in the Leaving Certificate are effectively penalised, as it is more difficult to gain high grades in these subjects" ("Bonus points for maths in Leaving urged", The Irish Times, June 23rd). If this is an accurate representation of their position, I must wonder if the expert group has actually looked at the Leaving Certificate statistics? In 2007, 15.4 per cent, 21.4 per cent and 20.8 per cent of students scored an A in Higher maths, physics and chemistry respectively.
In comparison, 5.2 per cent scored an A in art, 12.7 per cent scored an A in history, and 12.1 per cent received an A in Irish at higher level. If we keep telling ourselves that maths, physics and chemistry are "more difficult" subjects, we might just start believing it!
What, then, is the solution? We know from international studies that the low number studying maths and science subjects is not unique to Ireland but has been observed across the Western world in recent years. Outreach activities, making science "fun", adding experiments to the courses, and generally tinkering with curricula have not worked in other nations and there is no indication that such moves will work here.
In the UK, the largest single factor that resulted in increased numbers studying computing, engineering, physics and chemistry degrees was the reintroduction of college fees.
The lesson we can learn from our neighbours is that when students and parents have to pay for third-level education, they are more likely to pick the "old reliables", rather than degrees that are fashionable but have questionable job prospects. - Yours, etc,
Dr JAMES FRYAR,
School of Physical Sciences,
Dublin City University,
Dublin 9.