Mr. Gerard Hanlon:

I thank the Chairman for extending this invitation to the History Teachers' Association of Ireland, HTAI. Those initials in documents refer to the association. We are very grateful for this opportunity to make our case to the committee.

From the moment the Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle document was published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, this association became gravely concerned about what we considered to be dire implications for history as a subject in the junior certificate. To that end we began a campaign. Members might be wondering why Catriona Crowe and Diarmaid Ferriter are part of the delegation from the History Teachers' Association of Ireland. They are part of the delegation because this is not just a sectoral issue. It has a broader impact and there are broader implications. From when we began our campaign, both Diarmaid Ferriter and Catriona Crowe have been intimately involved with the association in supporting it. They feel there is a large issue here for public discourse.

We made a submission to the committee. It should be said that we support the overall thrust, aims and philosophy in the framework document and I believe the Minister is sincere when he says he believes in the value of history as a subject in the junior cycle, as have all the party leaders. However, we also believe there is an entitlement to history, which this document does not give. In that context we made our submissions. We had an executive summary which had five points, and I will ask the public relations officer of HTAI, Niamh Crowley, to go through that executive summary.