Investment in maths and science urged

IF IRELAND does not make investments in teaching maths and science it will cause damage to the economy, according to Engineers Ireland.

Speaking after the launch of a report on maths and science education at second level, John Power, director general of Engineers Ireland, pointed to OECD research published this week on the economic cost of poor education standards. It suggests that if Irish literacy levels were brought up to the same level as Finland it would be worth up to $10 billion (€7.7 billion) a year.

“We need to stop focusing on the lead time and focus on the urgent need to act,” said Mr Power. “We don’t have the opportunity as a country to sit back and relax.”

While commending IDA Ireland for attracting inward investment, Mr Power noted that the amount of foreign direct investment available is falling, and Ireland will need to create its own successful companies based on technology.

His comments echo those of former Intel chief executive Craig Barrett, who earlier this week said Ireland would have to be patient before investments in research and development began to pay off.

Engineers Ireland is calling for fundamental change in the way maths is taught in secondary schools. Among the measures it recommends are making science compulsory up to Junior Cert, increased use of technology to teach maths and science, and a ban on calculators until after Junior Cert level.

The report was published as part of Engineers Week 2010, which runs until tomorrow.

Yesterday nearly 1,000 engineers volunteered their time to work on maths puzzles and worksheets with more than 20,000 students around the State.

They included Irish rugby international Malcolm O’Kelly, who has a masters degree in mathematics.