Students reject smart futures
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IT is beginning to look as though the millions spent by the Government on a campaign to encourage more students to pursue disciplines which would contribute to a future 'smart economy' have been in vain.
Fewer students are choosing science and technology courses in colleges this year.
A former university president recently told an educational conference yesterday he believed parents were pushing their children into "socially attractive" courses, simply because they achieved high points in the Leaving Certificate. Thus, a boy or girl with a natural talent for computer technology, or perhaps with an untapped entrepreneurial flair, will end up as a doctor or lawyer.
Now we have evidence that Prof Ferdinand von Prondyznski's theory is correct. There has been a considerable drop in the number of students opting for science, engineering and computing courses and the employers' body IBEC blames a disproportionate preoccupation with the professions.
According to the Minister for Enterprise, a smart economy is one with a thriving enterprise sector, high quality employment, secure energy supplies, an attractive environment and first-class infrastructure.
This may seem a distant dream in these uncertain times, but the fact is that the country will, sooner or later, come through its problems and will have to compete on the world stage once again.
Government coffers may be empty, but, as every good physicist knows, a little imagination and improvisation can go a long way. This problem needs to be urgently addressed, both in the name of tomorrow's economy and, most importantly, today's children.
