Tertiary Entry Scores for Batchelor of Science Among Lowest for Any Degree. (January 2, 2007)

    On December 30, 2006 Justine Ferrari and James Madden pointed out in  The Australian, "Science graduates, many of them headed for teaching careers, are leaving university carrying a HECS debt equal to that of engineers and accountants - despite the vast difference in the salaries they can expect to earn." And while the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop, says surveys show that  the level of HECS debt incurred doesn't discourage students from choosing courses, it's hardly an incentive to take up the calling of teaching science or mathematics.

However, a follow up article today by Justine Ferrari, "Science scores mock clever country", is perhaps more to the point. She writes, "A comparison of tertiary entry scores at Australian universities shows the score needed to qualify for a bachelor of science degree is among the lowest for any degree. This reflects weak demand for science courses."

And in speaking with Australia's three-day a week Chief Scientist, Jim Peacock, he told her that Australia risks losing its level of scientific knowledge, "It's depressing and worrying. [For example w]e have to be concerned about the replacement of ageing researchers."

And concerning the teaching of science in schools he says, "I believe in meritocracy. Good teaching deserves good pay, and better teaching deserves better pay."

Unfortunately there still remains the disconcerting fact that the university staff who are needed to properly train and enthuse those that will be both the teachers of science and maths in the schools as well as the next generation of researchers are also in diminishing supply.

The International Organisation for Science and Technology Education chairman, Terry Lyons, told Ms Ferrari that the quality of people wanting to teach science was declining so the standards required to teach science were also declining. "We don't have the supply we once had. The standards required aren't the same as they were previously for teaching chemistry or physics."

And The co-ordinator of science and maths education at Edith Cowan University, Vaille Dawson, told Ms Ferrari that Year 11 and 12 physics or chemistry teachers should ideally have passed at least two units of the subject at third-year level, but in fact education departments in Australia consider individuals as "qualified" if they have satisfactorily completed one unit at second-year level.
 

Dr Dawson  says, "It's about the perception of science in the community and it's about the perception of teaching, and that's where science teachers have a double whammy."

Meanwhile Ms Bishop seems figuratively to just shrug her shoulders agreeing there is a need to encourage more students to take up studies concluding, "Increasing demand by encouraging and supporting students to consider a career in science will result in higher entry scores for science courses at university."

Perhaps she and Dr Peacock might like to get together over a coffee and nut out a strategy to do something useful about the problem and then work out a way to get the Prime Minister to take it up proactively.

Perhaps Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard might swing through the problem with Mr Smith and Senator Carr.