“The number of university students opting for courses in the key areas of combined maths, science and computing declined by 13 per cent last year, according to new figures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The figures are likely to spark fresh concern about the relatively small number of students opting for such courses. Last week, the American Chamber of Commerce expressed concern about the skills deficit in technology and related areas. Yesterday, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe announced details of a new expert group that will examine how his department and the private sector can work more closely to improve technology in the classroom. The HEA figures show that courses in science and engineering were the only ones to register a decline in new students …” (more)
[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 24 February]