As a parent of four school-going children, I am fascinated by the contrast between the excitement generated among young people by the recent BA Festival of Science in Trinity College Dublin and the decline in interest in science among my children as they progressed through the school system. What is wrong with the way we teach our children science that is leading to this loss of interest?
Examination results frequently drive this debate and sometimes we hear conflicting conclusions - for example, the low uptake of the physical sciences (chemistry, physics) by students passing from Junior Cert to Leaving Certis often mentioned. Yet the uptake of the physical sciences at second level in Ireland is twice the European average.
However, we all want to see an even greater uptake. It is generally accepted that the economy needs more scientists, but this is not the only reason. The study of science, with its vast body of knowledge and its methods of investigation, is enlightening, enriching and culturally significant.
Increased uptake depends on nurturing the natural interest of young children in science at primary school. Major efforts are currently been made to enhance science education in primary schools, including the upskilling of a teaching workforce drawn mainly from the liberal arts.
At Junior Cert level, students now have the opportunity to study a revised syllabus, which has many hands-on experiments aimed at exciting their interest in science and encouraging the pursuit of a career in the area. On the negative side, many schools do not yet have the laboratory facilities required to implement the curriculum fully. We must redouble our efforts to rectify this situation because many students, if they lose interest at that stage, are lost to science forever.
Another major issue that science teachers often raise is the serious shortage of laboratory technicians in schools. A recent survey by the Irish Science Teachers' Association (ISTA) established that there are a mere 22 laboratory technicians for the State's 750 second-level schools. Students need to carry out efficient, high-quality practical laboratory investigations and technicians are seen as a vital resource to facilitate this. Teachers say that laboratory work imposes tasks additional to the actual teaching of science - duties such as washing, cleaning, repairing, ordering and stocktaking of scientific materials and equipment. Indeed, there is some evidence that many science teachers are actively deserting science for "easier subjects", that is, for subjects that don't involve chores.
I recently spoke to a group of science teachers who have visited schools in Europe. They reported that the facilities in these schools are far superior to the standard of facilities here. Laboratory exposure is a critical element in science education and if this is not right, other initiatives will fail to rescue the situation.
As we are all aware, there are many initiatives that generate increased interest in science among young people. Such initiatives include the Young Scientist Exhibition, Discover Science and Engineering, the ISTA Science Quiz, skoool.ie, the school science bus and Dublin City University's and Maynooth University's practical sessions for Leaving Cert biology, chemistry and physics students. A new classroom and web resource called Science and Technology in Action will also be launched this autumn. I hope that all of the above initiatives will help to reawaken your children's interest in the study of science.
Also on the positive side, there has been a warm welcome among science teachers for the expansion of the inspectorate by the Department of Education. A change from the traditional approach to school inspection to a more modern, holistic role of giving advice, support and encouragement to science teachers should reap dividends.
Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish- times.ie