The building blocks to education are the key says RUAIRI QUINN
MUCH HAS been written, and even more promised, about a knowledge economy. Yet, too often the focus has been on the high-level goals of our third level institutions, at the expense of the building blocks of a knowledge society – literacy, maths and science education at primary and second level.
It will be the foundations laid by our school system that determine how we fare in the race to a 21st century knowledge economy. The Irish education system does well, relative to the resources it has. However, the widely-held belief that we have “the best education system in the world” falls far short of reality.
Yes, Ireland is fifth in the OECD league for literacy, but one in three children in some disadvantaged schools has severe literacy difficulties, compared to one in 10 children in the general population. Overall literacy levels have not significantly improved since 1980.
We know Irish students rank about average in international league tables for maths and science. There are worryingly low levels of uptake for higher level maths – a mere 16 per cent of the class of 2009. Last year, 4,292 pupils failed maths, the bulk of them at ordinary level.
We can start with literacy. For Labour, it is a matter of principle that no child should leave primary school unable to read and write. We need to examine how we teach literacy, with more intensive pre-service and continuous training for teachers. There should be additional literacy training for teachers in disadvantaged schools. Every school should have a literacy policy, which involves parents with target outcomes.
Literacy beyond the school gates is important too – a principle which informs Labour’s Right to Read campaign. This includes extending the opening hours of local libraries, setting up community-based homework clubs and improving social housing so that there is a quiet space to do homework.
I welcome the Project Maths reforms to the second-level maths curriculum – which Labour has called for since 2006. However, we need to pay as much attention to how maths is taught and learned, as to curriculum content. This means reforming teacher in-service training that focuses on students’ understanding and problem-solving skills, not just “getting through the course’.
We also need to address maths teachers’ skills. Up to 48 per cent of second level maths teachers do not have a qualification in that subject. This reflects, in part, the difficulty in attracting maths, science, engineering and other similar graduates into teaching. Labour will examine the development of an online course for graduate engineers, physicists, professional scientists and others to qualify as second level teachers.
There is a need for a fundamental reform of the maths syllabus at higher, ordinary and foundation level so that students can choose their level based on aptitude, rather than a pressure for points or fear of failure. However, higher level maths will always be challenging and should attract bonus points.
The third area where we need to do better is science. At a most basic level, every second level school needs to be able to offer each of the science subjects to their pupils. Labour’s proposals for a major school refurbishment and building programme include equipping schools with modern lab facilities.
The old and slow ways of introducing change in our primary and secondary schools can no longer be tolerated. We have neither the time, nor the economic space, to travel the low road of incremental improvements.
We must consciously, as a nation, put our children on the high road if they are to find their way to the knowledge economy upon which all our futures depend.
Ruairi Quinn is the Labour Party spokesperson on education and science.