Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with the Chairman in welcoming the representatives of the History Teachers' Association of Ireland and the Department. As a former history student at university level, I welcome a former tutor of mine, Professor Diarmaid Ferriter. I have a very strong respect for the role history can play in one's education and I have a love for it.

I refer to the framework for the junior certificate so far and how it is developed. There are many issues with it in terms of the consultation undertaken with teachers in putting it together. It is still vague in many ways in terms of what will be delivered at the end of it. Ms Breda Naughten spoke about what will be in place if the plans go ahead as they are and it sounds very promising. She spoke about field trips and more IT but schools and teachers are not being given the resources or funding to achieve that. There is a real risk in terms of how it will play out at school level. It depends on the background of the school and the quality of education in it.

Ms Niamh Crowley referred to the experience in Britain where history has suffered in disadvantaged schools and the take-up has not been what it could be. How many students continue to study history at leaving certificate level? Is there a concern there? Does it inform learning? If we are to give students the choice at junior certificate level, how many will decide to study history?

Fianna Fáil welcomes the reform of the junior certificate and believes there are many things which can be improved in the curriculum. However, we need to consider more carefully the impact of each of the decisions we make. That has not happened in regard to history, in particular, and we need more engagement.

Will the Department outline further what level of consultation took place with teachers before the framework document was put in place? We should not be in the situation where the document has been published and we are only now giving some in-depth consideration to its impact.