Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I welcome the launch of the 2016 commemoration ceremonies programme which took place yesterday in the GPO. It is fitting that the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is coming to the House today and in his absence I thank the Leader for facilitating this discussion. We talk about lasting legacies. The 2016 commemorations will have an impact and, I hope, rekindle an interest in our history among young people, in particular. I would like to see a real lasting legacy from the 2016 commemorations, namely, a rekindling of the teaching of history in second level schools. It is most regrettable to learn that history is no longer a desired subject at leaving certificate level. Senator Paschal Mooney spoke about the junior certificate cycle. It is my understanding that the teaching of history will not be compulsory at that level either and that many schools will not even offer history as a subject. This is something about which I am really concerned because it suggests that in 20 or 30 years time many more young people will not have any understanding of the 1916 Rising, the First World War and its impact and the Second World War, the development of Nazism and that terrible period in the world's history. We cannot plan for the future and certainly cannot equip young people for it unless they have an understanding of past events, both good and bad. Will the Deputy Leader facilitate the Minister for Education and Skills in coming to the House for a debate on the teaching of history at second level? The commemorations in 2016 present us with an wonderful opportunity to do something tangible in developing a love of history among young people.