Sir, – The matter of the “dumbing down” of maths through the introduction of Project Maths is coming home to roost! The Government’s response to industry as a result of the reported weakness in maths ability among students has been a comedy of errors. A curriculum devised by benchmarking against maths courses in other countries seemingly missed the core point by excluding the key differentiating elements of those programmes that they sought to benchmark.
The Project Maths curriculum that is now causing so many downstream problems for students, universities and industry is more akin to a second-level maths programme in the benchmark countries and is not appropriate for those who wish to pursue science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) studies. This Government initiative was followed by the huge push to get students and parents excited with the carrot of an additional 25 CAO points to study higher-level maths. It encouraged more students to take the subject at higher level but did not improve the quality of the taught maths output nor the ability of the students.
Then a soft marking regime followed to allow the Government to pat itself on the back for widening the appeal of the subjects and telling industry what good boys they had been.
It is now reported that many students are struggling with many of the key mathematical principles required to follow Stem subjects, an error already made in Finland but which, since then, it has rectified.
Little wonder then that the reality that Project Maths is not fit for purpose is beginning to emerge. A full reform of the Project Maths programme is required to ensure that those who wish to follow stem subjects can have the opportunity to study maths at a level appropriate to their chosen career path. – Yours, etc,
DECLAN YOUNG,
Drumelis, Co Cavan.