In the wake of the Leaving Certificate results, IBEC has warned that plans to reform second-level maths teaching must be adequately funded and receive the full support of the education system, following a disappointing set of Leaving Certificate results this year.

Out of 55,589 students, just 15.3 per cent sat the higher level maths papers and only 12 per cent of the total number of students sitting the exams secured a honours grade at higher level.

IBEC Head of Education and Social Policy Tony Donohoe said: "Mathematics is vitally important to the educational and economic well-being of the country. Mathematical concepts, models and techniques are central to working in technology, finance, pharmaceutical and medical devices - sectors in which the Government has invested heavily. Mathematical fluency is also recognised as being particularly useful in a wide range of jobs, even when not explicitly required."

Mr Donohoe added that almost 85 per cent of students sat Ordinary Level maths, exclusing themselves from most science, engineering and technology-based third-level courses.

"This poor showing follows the publication of an OECD survey late last year which ranked Irish 15-year-olds at 16th in maths literacy out of 30 OECD countries. These results will undermine both the capacity of Irish business to innovate and our ambitions in the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation," he continued.

"The Government's recent decision to introduce significant reform of the second-level mathematics curriculum through the Project Maths programme is welcome. It is important that maths teachers receive adequate professional support to deliver the programme. However, this issue has become so critical, that it needs to be supported by other measures. The reintroduction of bonus points for honours maths offers a short-term solution to the falling numbers selecting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects at third-level."

The University of Limerick offers bonus points for Higher Level maths, with up to 40 extra points on offer for the best-performing students.

"A certified and assessed National Maths Training Programme for new teaching graduates who wish to teach honours mathematics should be introduced. Existing mathematics teachers should also have an opportunity to undertake the programme. Teaching time for maths, science and technology at primary level should be increased, at least to the OECD average," he said.

"Teachers, their unions, the Government, parents and business need to co-operate urgently to address the deficiencies in the current system of teaching maths," Mr Donohoe concluded.

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