Formula for Success

Posted on January 11, 2007 at 05:21 PM

BT Young Scientist

This week marks the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition in the RDS, Dublin. Pat Rabbitte and Ruairi Quinn stopped by yesterday to chat with some of the 1,800+ competitors from the schools in 29 counties taking part in the competition. The event runs until Saturday afternoon.

The mix of projects, not to mention the research and presentation of the student's ideas was very impressive indeed. Pat and Ruairi learned about the effects of food on sleeping patterns, subliminal messages (could come in handy - vote Labour), a battle of the sexes fish style, among other interesting topics.

"It is hard to believe looking around the RDS and the energy and enthusiasm of the young people involved that one in ten secondary students do not take science to Junior Cert levels," the Party Leader commented as he walked around.

Sean Grennan and Jason Thomas from Old Bawn
Community School show the Labour Leader and
Mike Maloney, from BT Ireland their Young Scientist entry

Labour believes that by allowing large numbers of young people to opt out of science at such a young age, we are limiting the scope of their later studies. Just before Christmas we launched Formula for Success with Fine Gael, an agreed agenda on science and maths.

Among the recommendations contained in the document include making science a core requirement for all students and reforming the curriculum to make the subject more hands on as well as the establishment of a special school science fund which would allow for specific science-based initiatives.

What do you think could be done to make science more relevant to our young people? Let us know in the comments which are now up and running.

More photographs are available on Flickr.

Tagged with Education • Policy