Politics to be included as new subject at Leaving Cert – Daly

Fine Gael Cork South West TD, Jim Daly, has received confirmation from the Minister for Education, Ruairí Quinn TD, that he has agreed to have ‘Politics and Society’ taught as a subject at Leaving Certificate level.

In response to a Parliamentary Question from Deputy Daly, Minister Quinn confirmed his intention to include ‘Politics and Society’ within the suite of Leaving Certificate subjects available to schools. Minister Quinn added that he has written to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment seeking their advice on addressing a number of issues ahead of introducing the subject.

Welcoming the confirmation, Deputy Daly said: ‘As a former school principal, I view this as a very positive development and I commend Minister Quinn for recognising the value of such an education to future generations’.

“I previously worked as an Outreach Education Officer for the Houses of the Oireachtas, whereby I visited secondary schools to tell them about the workings of our parliament. I found that that there is an enormous appetite among second level students for information relating to how their country is governed and how decisions relating to taxes and expenditure are made.

“There has been a huge surge in the interest levels among students in the whole area of politics, particularly since the recession. I am a passionate believer that every citizen has rights and responsibilities; one of those responsibilities is to educate ourselves on the workings of democracy in our country.

“Many of the mistakes of the past may not have been made if people took a greater interest in the workings of Government during the so called Celtic Tiger era. That has changed since the downturn and I am delighted the Government is playing its part by encouraging the study of politics by students at second level. This bodes well for the welfare of society and the development of democracy into the future.”

ENDS