Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire go dtí an Teach seo inniu.

Fianna Fáil supports the need to maintain history as a core subject under the junior certificate reforms. Let us hope that history will continue to be essential to the three year curriculum and that it will be taken by as many children as possible. The small percentage of students - I understand it is between 5% and 8% - who do not take up history should be encouraged to undertake some form of short history course, be it on local history or whatever, in order to acquire an understanding of our national heritage, which is of the utmost importance as is the need for it to be passed on to future generations.

Fianna Fáil's educational policy, Securing the Future, outlines our commitment to protecting history as a core subject. History should be a mandatory subject in schools at junior cycle and any downgrading of history would be an alarming move. Ensuring that history continues to be a core subject, and that it becomes a compulsory subject at junior certificate level in schools, is essential to sharpen our children's critical and analytic mindsets. Our knowledge of history allows us to understand past events, enables us to understand our identity and gives us the knowledge to deal with problems and crises in society as they arise.

Fianna Fáil does not believe it is appropriate that any political party would make a submission on the content of a history curriculum. We believe that should be kept non-political. However, a strong national policy on the teaching of history at junior certificate level is essential. Overall, Fianna Fáil has promoted the need to reform and initiated a junior cycle reform process while it was in Government. These reforms should be aimed at improving the learning experience of second level students.

It is clear from the rejection by the ASTI of proposed reforms to the junior cycle assessment and curriculum that teachers had little faith in the then Minister for Education and Skills as a custodian of our educational system. However, it is essential that the ASTI comes back to the table to work towards an agreement and solution that is acceptable to both sides. There is an onus on all stakeholders to come to an agreement on junior certificate reform as soon as possible to ensure that parents and students who are under enough pressure already in the pre-examination phase are not subject to any further unnecessary stress.

If the union's opposition to the reformed junior cycle continues students in ASTI schools will miss out on potentially 10% of their final English mark next year. As Members will be aware, this refers to an assessment task that students are expected to complete before the written examinations. I am sure everybody agrees that this is totally unacceptable. Instead of postponing the commencement of the new English curriculum while negotiations continued, the then Minister pushed ahead with the new junior cycle reform in the absence of any such agreement. It was at this point that teachers' unions began balloting for strike action.

I am sure all Members will agree it is very regretful that we are in this position. I plead with the Minister not to continue to dismiss the teachers' concerns by ploughing on with reform in the absence of consensus. If we have learned anything from our short past, it is that without consensus we are going nowhere. We should listen to the teachers and their representatives, and if any necessary delay needs to occur, then so be it. It is important that we bring everybody with us.

It appears that in its attempt at reform the previous Government sought to implement the new junior cycle on a shoestring budget. There are real concerns that these changes will not be properly resourced. On that basis alone, the Ministers should re-engage with teachers and their representatives. Teachers have raised the issue of inadequate training which they are to receive on the new assessment system itself. With these reforms, the Minister is attempting to put the cart before the horse. He needs to put adequate resources in place prior to undertaking such a wide-ranging reform to the curriculum and systems of assessment at junior cycle.

I reiterate our total support for keeping history as a core subject, and that any attempts to downgrade it will not be accepted. A strong national policy on the teaching of history at junior cycle is essential. I appeal to the Minister while he is in the House today. Much of my criticism is not directed at him as he is only knew in the post. However, I would ask him to grasp the nettle and perhaps delay things until such a time as we get everybody singing from the same hymn sheet. We could then implement true reform with everybody fully supportive of it.