Science, although not a formal part of the primary school syllabus, is present to some extent in the guise of nature and environment studies. The new curriculum, which is to be presented to the Minister in January, includes science under social, environmental and scientific education.

The Irish Council for Science Technology and Innovation (ISTC) has welcomed this development. "The introduction of a new science syllabus to primary schools has important implications for the status of science in Ireland, for public awareness of and access to science and for the education of future science-qualified graduates and science-informed citizens," says ISTC's statement on science in primary schools.

The ISTC has made a number of recommendations. Among these, it asks that the science syllabus be given "priority attention" when it comes to training for the new curriculum and that the Department draw up an inventory of educational resources to support the programme.

The ISTC would also like the Department to appoint resource teachers who can support science teaching in schools as well as establishing diploma and master's courses in science education (primary) and short courses in schools' science. A further suggestion is that the Department studies primary school pupils' current awareness of science as a baseline for measuring the impact of the revised curriculum.