Sir, – In his recent excellent address to the MacGill Summer School, Ruairí Quinn highlighted the challenges facing modern education in Ireland (Home News, July 28th).
He suggested potential reform of CAO point allocations for Leaving Certificate science, technology, engineering and maths (“Stem”) subjects. He went on to say that more students take geography or French at higher level than the combined totals taking physics and chemistry.
The current geography syllabus comprises almost 30 per cent of physical geography and geology. For many geoscientists in Ireland, geography provides the only second-level scientific introduction to the study of geology and related geosciences (such as hydrogeology, geochemistry, geophysics, etc).
These subjects address perhaps the greatest challenge of the 21st century, the environmental challenge.
Geoscience includes a diverse array of activities, including mapping of our soils, seabed and mineral resources; mining and quarrying; protection of our groundwater; monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis; characterisation of natural gas, wave, tidal and geothermal energy resources; as well as world-class collaborative research in understanding earth processes.
A small army of geoscientists works across the island of Ireland in both public and private sectors to ensure sustainable management of our precious natural resources and compliance with EU water, soil, mining and waste directives, using complex technologies.
A study undertaken by the Geological Survey of Ireland in 2007 valued the geosciences’ direct and indirect contribution to the Irish economy to be €4.24 billion, or 3 per cent of GNP, creating over 30,000 jobs, many in rural areas.
The Institute of Geologists of Ireland would wish to see geography enhanced and promoted to students as a challenging Leaving Certificate “Stem” subject by the Department of Education, rather than dismissed as a “soft” non-science option. Ireland’s response to increasing environmental challenges will depend on fostering and developing excellence in the education of young earth scientists. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn is quoted as saying, “We need more students to take the ‘stem’ subjects – science technology, engineering and maths. Yet more students take geography or French at higher level in the Leaving than the combined totals taking physics and chemistry.”
This blithely ignores the immense value of geography to Irish education and the country as a whole. Today’s young people will live and work in the global market, and geography can help them reach their full potential within it.
Geography provides students with key attributes and skills that are essential for their future participation in society: critical thinking and advanced analytical skills; the ability to understand and interpret complex data; a team-working capability; and an understanding of physical and socio-economic environments.
Geography has the potential to be a gateway subject to wider scientific study. Geography makes science more accessible as a subject choice, encouraging more to take it at junior and senior cycle.
Future Irish innovators will come from an education system that provides the knowledge they need to understand, construct and function in a technological and globalised world.
Through the higher-order cognitive skills of synthesis and creativity, a study of geography provides this essential knowledge and understanding.
Geographers are the most “scientifically globalised” students in the Irish educational system and it is therefore deeply worrying that proposals for the new Junior Certificate seem to ignore geography completely. – Yours, etc,