Willie Penrose
Question:68 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason for excluding biology from his science initiative at second level. [12795/99]
Written Answers. - Leaving Certificate Curriculum.
The science initiative which I announced recently was designed as a response to the continuing decline in the uptake of physics and chemistry at leaving certificate level. While the uptake rates for these subjects have been declining for a number of years the uptake rate for biology has remained relatively constant. In addressing the problem of the declining interest in the physical sciences it was clear that intervention should take place as early as possible in the second-level curriculum. Accordingly, it was decided that a major element of the in-career development component of the initiative should be devoted to teachers of junior certificate science, the majority of whom are, in fact, biology teachers. While the subject content of the courses being provided will concentrate on the physical sciences the courses will also have a strong emphasis on pedagogical issues and, as such, will be of considerable benefit to biology teachers, not only in their teaching of junior certificate science but also of leaving certificate biology.
A revision of the current leaving certificate biology syllabus is currently being undertaken by a course committee of the NCCA. When the revised syllabus has been ratified and circulated to schools a comprehensive in-career development programme for biology teachers will be implemented. While this programme will give attention to all aspects of the new syllabus it will have a particular emphasis on the new elements of the course and on pedagogical issues of specific relevance to the teaching of biology.