We're flunking in science and maths yet still teaching them to the Brtitish

The following article by Philip Ryan appeared in the Irish Mail on Sunday of August 16th, 2009.

In the week that Leaving Cert results in science and maths plumbed new depths, it has emerged that Britain is asking one Irish college to train its teachers in those two very subjects.

Hibernia College, which teaches on third of all primary school teachers in Ireland, 600 each year, started giving online Postgraduate Certificate in Education courses in teaching at secondary school level in 2006, in associate with the Canterbury College in Kent.

Dr Sean Rowland, president of Hibernia College revealed that it has recently agreed financing from Britain’s Training and Development Agencies to expand its courses to five more colleges and that it expects to teach another 750 new teachers next year.

There is some irony in an Irish college teaching British teachers maths and science after the Leaving results released this week which showed a 10pc drop in students taking higher physics and chemistry, while the number taking higher maths plummeted 16 pc.

There were also high failure rates across all science subjects.

Last year after 5,000 students failed maths in the Leaving, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe promised a complete overhaul of the system.

In 2006 the British government recognised a shortfall in graduates in maths, physics and chemistry and turned to Dublin-based Hibernia College and its online courses to help increase the number of teachers in those subjects.

Dr. Rowland said the courses he provides in Britain are receiving a lot of attention.

Hibernia College is best known for its online Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education, which is now the largest provider of Ireland’s newly qualified primary teachers.

Speaking of the success of his college Dr. Rowland said: “We put out about a third of the primary school teachers in the country, that’s over 600 graduates for the last two years”.

Hibernia is a privately run college that receives no State funding.

Dr. Rowland called on the Government to intervene in the escalating problem relating to our education system. 

He said: “We must promote maths and science in a real way it cannot be left up to political rhetoric. There is a chronic need for us to highlight the opportunities in the workforce for those who graduate in maths and science”.