Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for tabling the motion, including Senator Marie-Louise O'Donnell. Fianna Fáil believes that history must be a key component of junior certificate education and would be deeply concerned at any syllabus change that resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of people studying history in post-primary schools. I wish to emphasise, although my colleagues may already have done so, that we welcome the reform of the junior certificate and believe many things can be improved in the curriculum. I was particularly impressed with the Minister's response earlier and hope that he is right. He said that it is expected that student experience of the new junior cycle history will provide an excellent base for students continuing to take history at senior cycle and will impact positively in the future on the take up of history at senior cycle. However, I am not so sure and there is an old cliché that those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it.