Study in Europe

Huge numbers of university students in Ireland are dropping out of science and technology courses after their first year in college, according to new figures obtained by The Irish Times.

At Dublin City University, regarded as the State’s leading “hi-tech” university, 39 per cent of students who began a science and technology degree course failed to progress to second year in their chosen course.At UCD, the non-completion rate in science and technology courses was 26 per cent.

The drop-out rate from science/technology/engineering and maths courses was high across the seven universities in the State, averaging more than 20 per cent. Ahead of the Leaving Cert results on Wednesday, the high drop-out rates among first-year university students will raise fresh questions about the so called “dumbing down” of the exam.

While grades have improved dramatically in the past decade, Tom Boland, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority, recently voiced fears of declining standards, with what he called “spoon-fed” second-level students struggling to cope at third level.

Last night, Tony Donohoe, head of education and social policy for employers’ group Ibec, said these “extremely disappointing” new drop-out figures highlight “the worst effects of the points system.”

It was inevitable, he said, that the declining number of students taking science/technology courses – and their lower Central Applications Office (CAO) points – would “result in entry by some students who were ill-equipped to take these courses. These figures also raise serious concerns around the teaching of mathematics and science at second level.” CAO points for a huge range of science and technology degrees have fallen dramatically in the past decade, as colleges struggle to fill places in these courses.

Last year, students could gain entry to many science and technology courses with less than 300 points. This compares, for example, with the 470 points required for primary teacher training.

The Government has identified science and technology as a key building block for economic revival, investing heavily in research.

But in international assessments, Ireland ranks 14th and 16th respectively out of 30 OECD countries in terms of the science and mathematical literacy among 15-year-olds. In 2008, close to 5,000 students failed ordinary-level maths in the Leaving, making them ineligible for most third-level science courses.

Last night, DCU president Ferdinand von Prondzynski said the university has been working hard to improve retention, but he acknowledged that non-completion rates are still unacceptably high.

“DCU has recently been looking more generally at retention, and we have introduced a new framework of student support which should ensure further significant improvements. We accept, however, that every non-completion is a serious problem.”

UCD said its relatively high student numbers in the science and technology area should be taken into account when comparing non-completion rates across the sector.

Irish Times