Tom McEllistrim (Kerry North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 552: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her views on giving each school a tricolour and flag pole to mark the 91st anniversary of the 1916 Rising in Easter 2007; and her views on making the National Anthem a compulsory part of the primary school curriculum in order that every child will know the Irish version. [39053/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Earlier this year, the Government arranged a number of events to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Rising. On the education side, one of the initiatives included a special supplement for schools in The Irish Times, including a map of the 1916 locations around Dublin sponsored by my Department. My Department also operates an annual Easter Week 1916 commemoration scholarship scheme. The Easter Week Scholarships reward students for their exceptional performance in the Leaving Certificate Examination and provide support to these students to continue their studies in higher education and in so doing to develop their potential and embrace their talent. These are highly prestigious and coveted awards, each of which is given in the name of one of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of Independence.

There are no plans to provide a tricolour or flag pole to all schools. With regard to the National Anthem, the primary school curriculum in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) contains a strand unit "Developing Citizenship". One of the objectives in the strand unit is that children should be enabled to become aware of elements of their own cultural heritage and traditions through music, literature, language, folklore, landscape, respecting the national flag and anthem, taking part in festivals and celebrations that are unique to Ireland.

The Deputy may also be interested to know that I have asked the National Children's Choir to produce a CD for schools of the national anthem and other songs as Gaeilge.