Ivana Bacik
Question:523. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education her plans to eliminate gender bias in the provision of Leaving Certificate classes in single-sex schools. [37072/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
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Students taking the established Leaving Certificate programme must take at least five subjects. English, Mathematics and Irish are the core subjects for all students, except for those students who have an exemption from Irish. Typically, students take six or seven subjects. The range of subjects offered by an individual school is a matter for the school. The range of subjects offered will vary in accordance with the teaching resources in the school and the needs and interests of the students.
However, I am cognisant of the issue of gender imbalance in the uptake of certain subjects, particularly in the STEM field, by girls in secondary schools.
The Government is committed to increasing the participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers. This is demonstrated by my Department’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/4d40d5-stem-education-policy/ and its two implementation plans, Implementation Plan 2017-2019 www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/43631/194126acae544b93895436013dadbefb.pdf#page=null and, most recently, the STEM Implementation Plan to 2026 www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/249002/3a904fe0-8fcf-4e69-ab31-987babd41ccc.pdf#page=null published on 1 March this year. These acknowledge that there is need to increase the uptake of STEM subjects and to enhance STEM learning for learners of all backgrounds, abilities and gender, with a particular focus on uptake by females.
This new STEM Implementation Plan, which goes to 2026, has been jointly developed by my Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. It contains many actions to promote gender balance in STEM, in particular focussing on the upskilling of educators to promote gender balance and the tackling of barriers and stereotypes currently evident in STEM. Actions in the new Plan to tackle gender imbalance include
Support for the STEM Passport for Inclusion, a project led by National University of Ireland, Maynooth, which recognises the experiences of girls from DEIS schools as they achieve micro-credentials in STEM, through mentoring and engagement with STEM content knowledge.
Continued consideration of gender balance in the development and review of national curriculum specifications and Department of Education policies, strategies and resources.
The exploration of the development of a national accreditation framework for whole school culture change at primary and post primary levels to address gender balance, equity, diversity and inclusion.