No sweet music for the natural sciences

Nina E. Tveter
Illustrasjon: Jon A. Dahle, TAPIR

At today's education tempo, by the year 2010 Norway will have a net shortage of 48,000 engineers, graduate engineers and natural scientists.

The situation is worrying business leaders, educationalists and politicians alike. Mathematics, science and technology (MST) are considered important for democracy, political processes and the business community's competitive ability. The future formation of values and employment is reliant on a good supply of competent technologists and natural scientists.

Only 10 percent are choosing "correctly"

Of the approximately 60,000 who complete the upper secondary school each year, only 6000 or 10 % have chosen the natural science subjects that give the necessary qualifications to embark on a technical education. The total annual entry to science and technology studies is also around 6000 students. But many of those who have qualification are choosing other areas of study. So it is clear that the science, mathematics and technology have both quantitative and qualitative problems.

The recruitment to physics and mathematics at universities and colleges is dramatically low. It is especially bad for the education of physics teachers at universities. In the spring semester, only two students in Norway started this education and twelve began in the autumn semester.

Department administrator Anders Isnes, who is head of the Norwegian Physics Teachers' Union, believes 20 to 30 students a year should apply for such studies in order to meet future requirements. A bright spot, however, is that there was a slight increase in the number of students in the upper secondary school in 1996 and 1997 who chose second year physics and third yearl mathematics - the minimum requirements to enter engineering or graduate engineering studies.

The prognosis from the Norwegian Society of Engineers (NITO) shows that in a few years there will be a large shortage of engineers. The municipal sector will be hit first. There are several reasons for this development. The most important is that many engineers who retire are close to retirement. Over 70 percent of NITO's 8000 members in technical positions in municipalities are over 40.

The proportion of girls is increasing

With the exception of biology studies, MST studies also have a gender problem. The proportion of women is still extremely moderate. But it has not been as difficult all the time. In the early 1990s, the recruitment of women to natural science subjects increased rapidly. In addition, efforts to change women's attitudes and the quota intake in the past couple of years have improved the gender balance. As an example, the "Girls and Computers" project led to more female students taking computer studies at NTNU. The proportion of women enrolled in masters-level engineering studies at NTNU increased from 20.9 percent in the 1996-97 academic year to 25.5 percent in 1997-98. In the current academic year, the proportion has further increased to 27.9 percent. Many believe that this is a synergy effect of the "Girls and Computers" project.

Many are worried that the interest in the natural science subjects is about to fall within society as a whole. If we base this on American experience, things are looking extremely gloomy. A recent investigation by the International Centre for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy in the United States of America revealed that nearly 65 percent of the population do not know that it takes one year for the earth to travel around the sun, and 50 percent of Americans thought that man lived on earth at the same time as dinosaurs, the Flintstone effect.

"The general mood of the times seems to be working against the natural science subjects,´" says Professor Hans Skoie from the Norwegian Institute for Studies in Research and Higher Education.

Ola Moe, Director at the National Education Office in Sør Trøndelag County, elaborates on that: "For the time being words like "technology" and "engineer" are associated with the "Romeriksporten" (a much publicized controversial project), pollution and nuclear accidents. The consequence is that these subjects no longer have prestige among young people."

The worries that stem from a lack of knowledge about natural science is not a recent problem. In a Polytechnic Periodical (the forerunner to the Technology Review Weekly) from 1854, it was recorded that "one is finding a complete lack of knowledge about the simplest laws of nature, even among those who in other fields have a great deal of knowledge and education."

Prognosis boom

History shows that the need for experts who can both calculate formulae and handle a screwdriver has always gone in waves. In fact it was only a few years ago that calculations showed that there would not be any shortage of engineers. The statistics then talked about the fear of "over catering". But the current tone is completely different.

"We underestimated the upswing in the Norwegian economy," says Nils Martin Stølen, research director at Statistics Norway (CSO). "In addition, purely and simply a mistake has crept into our computer system that contributed to the influx of engineers being clearly over estimated."

The net growth requirements for engineers, graduate engineers, people with Batchelor or Masters degrees in the natural sciencesor mathematics has been estimated at 4500 annually until the year 2000. After that, it has been estimated at 3100 annually until 2005 and then 2200 per year until 2010. The notion of "net growth" is the total requirements when the total number of new graduates at today's education tempo is deducted. If you also allow for the fact that some of the engineers and scientists who are currently employed will retire during this period, the need for new recruits becomes even greater.

But the analysts at Statistic Norway have their reservations. If Norway enters a recession, it will particularly strike the oil sector and building and construction. And, if so, the demand for engineers will suddenly be reduced again.

The Tvetereid Report in 1997 documented the low level in science textbooks in Norwegian primary and early secondary schools. The formal science qualifications of teachers at this level were also shown to be too low. Several of the people Gemini talked to said precisely that the quality of teachers was an important reason that Norway was about to end up in a mess. Extremely few teachers chose the natural sciences or mathematics in their curriculum. But, despite this, there are many who teach these subjects.

Make the requirements harder

Physics Professor Svein Sigmond of NTNU calls the quality of science education to account: "The teachers at primary and all levels of secondary schools must stop appearing like entertainment experts and concentrate on teaching the subjects instead. This is purely and simply deceiving the pupils. They get the impression that they can learn the natural science subjects without studying and memorizing."

Professor Sigmond is frankly worried for the science and technology subjects in the future. "The students who are studying at NTNU these days can do far too little fundamental physics and mathematics," he says. "Recently 65 percent of the first year students who took the introductory supplementary course in physics failed. If an improvement does not occur, it will be necessary to start NTNU education at a lower level."

He is also critical of the education system and the Ministry of Education, Research and Church affairs (KUF) for being out of step with the rest of the world.

"They live in a relative world, a self constructed universe, where they have set their own goals for what the pupils should learn," says Sigmond. "This corresponds poorly with the absolute reality the students meet in their working life where the tasks themselves set the requirements. You cannot be equipped with relative knowledge if you want to build safe oil platforms or operate a patient with appendicitis.

Antiquated education model

Edvard Befring, a professor of special education at the University of Oslo, believes the clarification on the recruiting shortage to natural science subjects lies with the school system's construction and self understanding.

"The school has the church house as a model. It drags with it a lot of dogmas it has been unable to let go of, for example that education itself is a development factor. In this way, the school is becoming a goal in itself," says Befring. "And the school also assumes that teaching is something that is controlled from outside, where the pupils are mechanically susceptible to knowledge and learning. The more charcoal you put on the fire, the better the results."

"This is a defective, not very effective and perilous mentality to base a school on," he says. "To learn maths for maths' sake is creating teaching of negative attitudes and scares many young people. The defeats they experience during the maths lessons with unsuccessful tests damage their go-ahead spirit, self respect and self confidence."

A way out that has given positive experiences in many places is to integrate mathematics in the other subjects so that it becomes more meaningful and practically corrected. "You can learn statistics in social studies and geometry during art and craft."

An image problem

Håkon With Andersen, a professor of modern history at NTNU, believes that the image of the natural science subjects must change if students are to rekindle them.

"The youth of today would rather study media and journalism, aesthetics, ideas and values," he says, noting that at the University of Oslo interest had increased in the autumn semester in religious studies, art history and history of ideas.

"This should show that high income and factors such as power aren't decisive when young people choose their direction. They are preferring to choose subjects that they think are exciting and challenging."

He adds: "As it is now, mathematics, natural science and partially technology subjects are falling between two chairs. They are not exciting and trendy enough and they are not attractive to young people who are going after jobs that provide high incomes and swift careers. If you want the latter, you instead choose the Norwegian School of Management (BI) or the stock exchange."

Lisa Lorentzen, a mathematics professor at NTNU, believes that the media should take a lot of the blame for the recruiting shortage. "Journalists have enormous power to influence," she says. "Their search for sensations and scandals easily gives the general public a lopsided view of the technology and natural science subjects."

Lorentzen adds: "If the media to a greater extent took it upon itself to put forward exciting aspects of the natural science subjects, it will contribute in a positive direction towards recruiting.´´