Good examples Sunny. I do have one issue with a small part, but I'll come to that in a general sense. First things first, the private sector has a role in the sense that an educated and healthy population benefits them.
However, the concern is that the rewards for places on schemes for students, awards, etc, doesn't generate additional interest in a subject, it rewards those who would already continue in that subject. At least that's how I see it.
There has to be a reward for the private employer outside of social responsibility. While some employers would do something to give something back to the community, there's a danger that some would do it for their own reward. So we could end up with a similar situation to America where the corporate involvement is to cherry pick the brightest and the best. There is no incentive to bring those outside the science area into this area.
The main argument is why are we losing so many to these areas? It's nothing to do with lack of involvement with employers and even so, at what stage would an employer's involvement be fruitful? I'd honestly say it's only around Leaving Cert time when kids are starting to think about what path they want to take. Well we've already lost too many at that stage.
I can only relate to my education in the distant past and in discussion with those who have taken the science route, it doesn't appear to be any different. We just don't teach science right, we just don't get the interest at an early enough stage.
[warning scientific preaching and rambling]
Science is all about curiosity, curiosity at how things work. That's how it came about and that's how it progresses. From that curiosity we get science applied to day to day useful, life saving, important and awe inspiring technology. But the curiosity came first, the application came after.
My point is: what kids aren't curious? when they're very young they're full of curiosity. My experience was that this was never satisifed at school in the teaching of science. Each subject (including maths) was taught as an abstract, indepenedent topic. Never the twain shall meet. Not one application to anything I was curious about (apart from nuddie girls).
I had one stand in teacher due to illness who's lesson plan in science was the star wars film and then an application (or dismissal) of scientific concepts. Genius. From then on I was hooked.
Same with one maths teacher, each new subject in maths had an entire lesson prefacing the history of the subject. So when we did calculus, it wasn't just hieroglyphic symbols on a page, it was the whole history of Newton and Leibniz, then the hieroglyphs.
Ok we all remember the good teachers, but I do feel that science is so easy to apply to the world as it is the world, the universe and everything. But it can be difficult to make that link until it is pointed out. The education system needs to do more to do this. That's not a criticism of teachers, I don't think the system allows them to or gives them the time and luxury of doing this. But I also feel there are some teachers who actually can't make that connection themselves or have no interest in making that connection.
Private sector involvement is really at the later stages of the education system, the means of seeing the opportunities in a chosen field or supporting and rewarding that chosen field. But we have to look at how we get that buy-in before then when it's just too late in development.