There are some familiar trends in the Leaving Cert results delivered to 50,000 students today. A total of almost 5,000 have failed maths across higher, ordinary and foundation levels, making them ineligible for many third-level courses.
In all, only 6,700 students gained a Grade C or higher in maths, the minimum entry standard for most engineering and technology courses. The decline in the number taking higher-level maths - down more than 1,500 over the past two years - is also striking. At ordinary level the failure rate in the various science subjects remains stubbornly high.
Concern about maths and science appears to have become an embedded part of our educational system. For close to a decade, government ministers have been pointing to the "crisis in maths and science". In an attempt to boost student interest in these key areas, roadshows and exhibitions have been rolled out. There has been loose talk about more modern courses, better teaching methods and bonus CAO points in order to address the problem. At the request of Minister for Education Mary Hanafin, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is now reviewing the Leaving Cert maths syllabus. A review paper will be published in the autumn.
But does the problem deserve a more urgent response at this stage? Earlier this year Ms Hanafin moved swiftly to reform the Leaving Cert Irish exam, placing a new emphasis on oral skills, without much advance notice. Is there a case for a similar decisive response in maths?
The best way of attracting more students to maths - and indeed to science subjects - is to give them some kind of real incentive, such as bonus CAO points. This approach is backed by the Royal Irish Academy and by Engineers Ireland, among others. Last year Ms Hanafin hinted at some kind of incentive scheme for those students who opted to pursue a third-level course in the science/technology/engineering area. But this plan appears to have disappeared without trace.
There are other ways to make progress. Modern laboratories and new lab assistants would transform science and technology subjects. But the huge cost of providing this kind of infrastructure and support appears to have concentrated minds in the Department of Finance.
The challenge now is to draw more students into these subject areas which, as the Government acknowledges, are critical to providing the skills base needed to underpin our economic development. There is the long- term task of revising teaching methods and updating courses. But immediate action such as the introduction of bonus CAO points could help to transform the situation.
This year's results show some encouraging trends too. Almost 1,000 additional students have been drawn to both Irish and history at higher level in recent years. The introduction of the new, updated history syllabus has had an immediate impact in changing the perception of the subject. There is a lesson here for maths and science; the current situation need not be set in stone.