Interest in Science and Maths Education Really Starts at School. (December 31, 2008)

With the coming of the new year one of the election promises made by Kevin Rudd was to reduce the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees charged for university undergraduate courses in maths and the sciences. The charges for students studying these degrees will be reduced by $4,162 to $7,412 p/a year for a three-year degree.

In addition graduates taking up primary school teaching will be eligible for a refund of about half their HECS-HELP repayments, estimated to be an individual benefit of as much as $1,500 p/a for five years.

How effective this initiative of the Rudd government will be in increasing the numbers of qualified maths and science teachers in the nation's public schools remains to be seen, but a degree of scepticism has been voiced in the sector.

University of Western Sydney vice-chancellor Janice Reid told The Australian Online: "Any reduction in HECS is to be celebrated. But the experience we have is that the interest in science and maths education really starts at school; I think any efforts to lift enrolments has to be complemented by outreach into schools."

ANU vice-chancellor Ian Chubb said: "Anything that makes science degrees more popular is a good thing. We need more scientists, but whether it will work, that's always a question you can only answer when you try it."

Of itself the reduction of HECS fees will not redress the deep-seated deficiencies in the teaching of maths and the sciences in the public schools, that will require a critically and painstakingly designed comprehensive program involving tertiary level course structures as well as marked improvements of primary and secondary educational infrastructure and incentives. An overt manipulation of quick fix solutions will be just another means of squandering public funding.

We might say that the good news is there is little doubt that Mr Rudd, and his Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, are well aware of the problem and its seriousness. The not so good news is that thus far they have shown little inclination to address it with vigour or competence.

Put simply: poor teachers trigger disinterest and the more demanding the subject the more important the quality of the teaching.