Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)

Teachers have always shown they are very receptive to innovation and inventiveness because they have embraced quite a number of changes in syllabi over the years. Education is about creating a well rounded individual who has the transferable skills about which we speak. I am always alarmed when I hear a particular section in society say that education must respond to X. I dislike the idea that education can be corralled into a very narrow framework.

I was delighted by what the Minister said about history and geography. History was one of my subjects and it is a very important one which perhaps should be compulsory along with geography. History is more than just learning facts, which is a very small part of it. It is about examining evidence and looking at bias, distortion and at the media. It is very important that young people learn to look at the media and how they can manipulate particular situations. It is also about creative thinking. Literacy and numeracy both come into subjects such as history and geography and I welcome what the Minister said. I would be delighted if the Minister did not make the decision that they would not be compulsory. Did he have discussions with the History Teachers' Association of Ireland, the Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland or any of the relevant professors?

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