KEY POINTS:
Senior secondary students are shying away from core maths and science subjects, with 24 per cent fewer students taking maths with calculus this year than in 2003 and 15 per cent fewer taking physics.
Since the last year of Bursary exams in 2003, the number of NCEA level 3 students sitting maths with calculus has dropped from 10,280 to 7766 this year.
Physics is another casualty, with a drop from 7761 in 2003 to 6611 level 3 students this year, although numbers at level two have increased slightly.
Maths with calculus has been a topic of controversy in the past two years, when the scholarship exam was criticised for being too difficult for even top maths teachers to complete.
Professor Richard Bellamy, dean of science at Auckland University, said many students now believed maths was the hard way to get into university, even though calculus and physics were prerequisites for courses such as medicine and engineering.
"Under NCEA, the choices are broader, so if we give children easy choices, they tend to take them. I think it's a little easier for students to put together options that enable them to escape the more rigorous subjects."
Alan Parris, president of the Association of Mathematics Teachers, said there was probably a perception among students that the subjects were hard.
"One could be cynical and say children are opting for easier options to gain entry into university, but I don't think that is the case. A lot of kids recognise they need calculus and most take it."
However, the falling numbers sitting the exam could exacerbate the shortage of maths and science teachers.
"We know there is going to be a greater shortage of maths and science graduates in the future. If children aren't choosing it at secondary school now, there is not going to be a flow-on."
Maths, science and physics teachers are on the Ministry of Education's endangered species list - it offers scholarships to train in these subjects, including course fees and up to $10,000 allowance.
Mr Parris said maths with statistics numbers had stayed firm because it was required for many university courses. Professor Bellamy said the slide had to be stopped.
"You can't have a knowledge-based economy and technology-led nation without folk who are properly trained in these disciplines. If you neglect those, we are going to suffer as a nation."
The changeover from the Bursary exams to level 3 NCEA in 2004 had the most startling effect on maths with calculus - in one year, student numbers dropped by 19 per cent.
The physics slump reflects international trends - in Britain, the number of students signing up for physics A-levels has dropped by 37 per cent since 1991.
Top 10 exams
2006: Level Three, NCEA
1. English 14,941
2. Statistics and Modelling 13,260
3. Biology 8183
4. Calculus7766
Geography 6806
5. Chemistry 6763
Physics 6611
History 5499
Classical Studies 5149
Economics 4545
2003: Univ. Entrance/ Bursary:
1. English 14,334
2. Maths with Stats 13,237
3. Maths with Calc 10,280
4. Biology 8367
5. Physics 7761
6. Geography 7481
7. Chemistry 6997
8. Economics 6911
9. History 5177
10. Classical Studies 5142
