Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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229. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 11 March 2014, regarding decisions on the use of workbooks, in his answer on the use of textbooks, quotes what he calls, The Guidelines that accompany the Primary School Curriculum, 1999, which state that it should be noted that textbooks, of their very nature, cannot adequately cover local history studies and should therefore be regarded as only one source among many for the teaching of history; the resource that students will rely on for their learning of local history, bearing in mind that most history teachers are not natives of the places in which they teach; with this new emphasis on local history, if the cutback in other history teaching will be that of national or European history or will there be an increase in the hours spent teaching history; with the new emphasis on local history, his views that, for example, Roscommon or Sligo people would be less interested in Humbert’s arrival in Killala than Mayo people, or that, Dublin people would have no interest in the Battle of the Boyne; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16657/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Deputy should be aware that while the current Primary School Curriculum was introduced into schools in 1999, the inclusion of local history has been a feature of the history curriculum since 1971. The introduction to the Primary School Curriculum states that "The exploration of local history remains a central element of the curriculum at all levels, but as children mature they encounter a widening range of peoples, events and periods. These are drawn from local, national, European and non-European contexts and from diverse social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, so that children acquire a balanced understanding of local, Irish and international history." A range of useful resources for teachers for teaching local history is available in the Teacher Guidelines for teaching History.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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230. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 11 March 2014, regarding decisions on the use of workbooks, in which he stated that the Education Act, 1998, places a responsibility on boards of management to manage the school on behalf of the patron of the school and for the benefit of the students and parents, and to provide or cause to be provided an appropriate education for each student at the school, boards of management, in exercising their function to ensure that an appropriate education is provided for students, have the authority to determine school policy on this matter, it seems clear, that he is saying that boards of management have the authority to determine school policy on this matter, however in the next sentence he states that, teachers under the guidance of the senior management of the school must make decisions on the textbooks or workbooks to be used in line with the school policy determined by the board, if he will explain, whether it is the board of management or the teachers who determine whether or not workbooks are used in a school in the event of a disagreement between the board of management and the teachers as to whether these workbooks should or should not be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16659/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As my answer to your Parliamentary Question Number 141 of 11 March made clear,

it is a matter for each Board of Management of a school to decide in its own

school policy in relation to the use of workbooks. Any decisions of the

teaching staff in relation to the use of workbooks must be in line with the

school policy.

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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231. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 11 March 2014, in which he states that, I am conscious of the additional costs that may have to be borne by parents if workbooks are used extensively in schools and the Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes in Schools, published by my Department in 2012, outline a number of strategies that can be used to obviate the need for such workbooks; the definitions of the word obviate in my Concise Oxford Dictionary are, clear away, get rid of, get round, neutralise; subsumed in his answer is the belief, on his part, that there is a need for these workbooks; the reason he considers that there is a need for these workbooks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16661/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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There should be no assumption by the Deputy that I consider that there a need for workbooks in schools. In fact, the Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes that I commissioned state clearly that "A number of strategies can be used to avoid the need for workbooks".

Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 11 March 2014, in which he states that, the Guidelines that accompany the Primary School Curriculum, 1999 acknowledge that carefully selected textbooks may play a role in supporting the implementation of the curriculum but they also warn against an over-reliance on textbooks, stating, for example, in regard to history, that it should be noted that textbooks, of their very nature, cannot adequately cover local history studies and should therefore be regarded as only one source among many for the teaching of history, he has already stated publicly that, for example in County Wexford, students should be taught about Vinegar Hill, his views on whether different history is taught in different parts of the country and whether the landing of Humbert in Killala is of interest to and should be taught only to County Mayo people, or that the Siege of Limerick, should only be taught to County Limerick people; his views on whether there is a need for authoritative and well reviewed textbooks for students as a need to overcome the shortcomings of the many awful and inadequate history teachers; his views on whether there is a need for authoritative and well reviewed textbooks for students in order to ensure that there is consistency in the teaching of history throughout the country and that there can be no disadvantages arising for students of a particular area when taking examinations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16662/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The Primary History curriculum delineates historical skills that are to be developed progressively by children and a number of strands which outline the historical topics and periods to be explored by the child. The strands have been designed to ensure that children experience a broadly balanced history programme. They reflect major historical periods, important genres of historical enquiry and particular methodological approaches. The arrangement of material within the strands respects the professional autonomy of teachers and school principals, and has been designed to provide maximum flexibility to them in the planning of the history curriculum that they offer to children. The number of strands, and hence the scope of historical enquiry, increases as the child gets older. However, it is an important principle of the curriculum that at each level children should experience material from a range of historical periods and from local, national and international contexts. It is to be expected, therefore, that many common elements of national and international history will be taught in schools, but that schools will also respond in various ways to meet the diverse needs of pupils and to ensure that the history curriculum reflects the local environment and experiences of the local community in the past.

The Teacher Guidelines that accompany the Primary History curriculum (pages 33-39) outline a broad range of sources and materials that may be used to support the teaching of history. These guidelines make clear that "carefully chosen, well-produced textbooks may be an important source for the teaching of history" but also advise that "textbooks, of their very nature, cannot adequately cover local history studies and should therefore be regarded as only one source among many for the teaching of history" and that "the exclusive use of one textbook per class could have a constricting influence on the selection of strand units" by the teacher. This guidance is in line with best international practice in the teaching of history. The deputy should note that primary school pupils are not required to take any examinations in history. Finally, I must state that I have no evidence to support the deputy's assertion that there are "many awful and inadequate history teachers".