FROM James Watt's steam engine to the cloning of Dolly the sheep Scotland has an illustrious history of innovation and invention.

But concerns are never far that the school system no longer produces the scientists and engineers of the future.

A few years ago, the number of pupils sitting science courses was declining, with a particular issue over those studying Higher exams.

Figures for 2014 from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) mark a welcome break from that tradition.

This summer there were a total of 31,955 entries for science qualifications at Higher - a rise of five per cent on the previous year.

All the sciences saw an increase in entries, but those which saw a particular spike included chemistry, where there was a seven per cent rise, and physics, with a rise of six per cent.

Even with a rise in overall entries at Higher of five per cent between 2013 and 2014 the increase is significant, particularly when seen in the light of the past five years.

Since 2009, for example, there has been a 13 per cent increase in entries in physics at Higher, while in chemistry entries have risen nearly 20 per cent.

The increases are testament to the hard work that has been going on in Scottish education to encourage more pupils to tackle subjects that are traditionally seen as "difficult".

The issue started to be addressed in earnest in 2003 when the Scottish Science Advisory Committee published a key report entitled Why Science Education Matters.

The report concluded that there was an "urgent need" to improve science education in Scottish schools which, it said, had lost its relevance to modern society and seemed to offer pupils little reward in the longer term.

As a result, there has been an increasing emphasis on what is known as science literacy in schools - giving pupils an understanding of the impact of science on the world around them in things such as health, diet and the use of energy resources.

The development of the Curriculum for Excellence reforms has also given educators the opportunity to embed some of these principals in the new courses and qualifications.

However, while the latest increase in interest is welcome, questions remain over whether it is the start of a long-term trend that will fuel Scotland's future economy. A report by the Science and Engineering Education Advisory Group in 2012 highlighted primary teachers' limited knowledge and understanding of maths and science and lack of confidence.

The Trends in International Maths and Science Survey of the same year also raised concerns about Scotland's performance in these subjects at primary level, leading to calls for primary teachers to have a mandatory science qualification.

Another significant unknown is the impact of the new National qualifications, which replaced Standard Grade this year. The SQA is unable to provide updated figures on the issue, but early indications suggest the number of pupils enrolling for science subjects was some eight per cent down.

Unless the focus is put immediately on the take-up of science subjects further down the school, it will not be long before the welcome rise in science study at Higher could falter.