Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697749995310.pdf (Ireland)
Opening Statement by Dr Ruth Freeman to the Joint Commitee on Educa�on, Further and Higher Educa�on, Research, Innova�on and Science Discussion on the Future of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathema�cs (STEM) in Irish Educa�on 28 March 2023 • Thank you Chair and Members of the Commitee.

It is my pleasure to be here today to discuss this vital topic.

• The Commitee will have received the writen submission on the future of STEM in Irish Educa�on from SFI Director General, Professor Philip Nolan.
• That submission highlights the good work that is currently being done in Ireland to ensure that we have a society that is engaging in STEM.

It also puts forward sugges�ons of areas that we at SFI believe would beneﬁt from further aten�on and explora�on.

• Literacy in STEM is a key aspect of broad literacy and building 21st century skills.

• An individual who is not being given the opportunity to understand and engage with STEM is an individual who is at risk of being le� behind.
• Three-quarters of the fastest-growing careers in the world require a background in maths or science.

Without access to STEM educa�on, that individual will not only be at a clear disadvantage in terms of their employment prospects – there is an even greater risk.

• In the absence of an understanding of what STEM means and how it will inﬂuence their future and their society they will be unable to par�cipate in a meaningful way in discussions and decisions about what that future might look like.
• We must ensure that diverse perspec�ves have the opportunity to contribute to how we shape our world through technological and scien�ﬁc advances.

• While not everyone will go on to be a STEM professional, those that embark on careers in research are an essen�al component of a knowledge economy.

• We at SFI ﬁrmly believe in the importance of the provision of a stable and secure career track for the academic research community.
A�erall, it is those researchers that we depend upon to educate our students and the same researchers that will make the discoveries that have the capacity to change our world for the beter.

• We are making progress in this regard and SFI warmly welcomes the review of state supports for PhD researchers which was brought forward by Minister Harris.

Urgent ac�on must be taken in response to the ﬁndings of that review so that our research community is supported in a fair and appropriate manner.
• A por�on of our society is at signiﬁcant risk of being le� behind.

Fewer girls take up most STEM subjects including physics, engineering, applied maths and computer science.

Many girl’s schools oﬀer a reduced range of STEM subjects.

• Work is being done to address this gap.

For example, I Wish – a volunteer led community which is commited to showcasing the power of STEM to female secondary school students.
This passionate group runs an annual showcase event and a survey1 which is a chance to ask girls what they think about STEM.

• The 2022 I Wish survey shows that female students are heavily impacted in considering STEM careers by three interrelated factors: gender stereotypes; lack of conﬁdence in their own poten�al to succeed in STEM; and lack of informa�on about STEM op�ons.

• These barriers can be overcome through deliberate and strategic eﬀorts from early years educa�on.
SFI welcomes the guidance on STEM �me alloca�ons in the new primary curriculum framework and looks forward to con�nuing work with the Department of Educa�on, DCEDIY, DFHERIS and other partners to realise the ac�ons associated with the STEM Educa�on Implementa�on Plan.

• We must ensure that our educators are supported.


We believe in suppor�ng teachers to develop the innate curiosity of children through a hands-on inquiry based approach to STEM and we do this through the SFI’s Curious Minds and ESERO Ireland programmes.

We believe that teachers should be formally recognised for par�cipa�ng in these and other CPD programmes.
• Not only do we have passionate educators – we have a passionate research community in Ireland that has already demonstrated their willingness and desire to step up and contribute to a na�onal eﬀort – such as during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Signiﬁcant exper�se and insight resides within our scien�ﬁc community across many areas that could inform the direc�on of Irish educa�on.

• The needs of the public should be central to policy making.
Through Creating Our Future, the Government of Ireland engaged the public in a conversa�on about the challenges and opportuni�es that people see in their lives and the role that research can play in addressing them.

• The ﬁndings2 reﬂect a call for reform of educa�on, whether at early years, primary and secondary, or in how we deliver postdoctoral educa�on.
Many submissions provided sugges�ons for curriculum addi�ons across diﬀerent levels of educa�on including in cri�cal thinking, scien�ﬁc logic/thinking, problem solving etc.

1 I Wish 2022 Booklet RGB 2 Crea�ng-Our-Future-EXPERT-Report.pdf (crea�ngourfuture.ie) • A SFI Science in Ireland Barometer3 echoes this with a higher level of respondents reﬂec�ng that how subjects such as science and maths were taught in secondary school “put them oﬀ” the areas.
• A more recent SFI Science in Ireland Barometer4 reﬂects that 79% of respondents feel capable of understanding science, however only 40% iden�fy as the type of person who could be a scien�st.

• We at SFI are commited to closing this gap in the public’s belief in their role in STEM.

We do this through our wide range of Educa�on and Public Engagement programmes.
• It is our belief that the gap exists due to some of the above men�oned barriers related to how STEM is perceived and could be addressed through concerted eﬀorts within the educa�on journey.

• Ní bhíonn an rath, ach mar a mbíonn an smacht • Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

3 SFI-Science-in-Ireland-Barometer.pdf 4 SFI-Science-in-Ireland-Barometer-2020-Research-Report.pdf