A thoroughly updated and forward-looking curriculum, reflecting the most advanced international educational thinking on how children learn, was how the Minister for Education, Mr Martin, described the revised primary school curriculum.
At the curriculum's launch at Dublin Castle yesterday, the Minister said it was uniquely Irish in that it incorporated the best practice from our schools, reflected the values, culture and aspirations of Irish society and acknowledged Ireland's position within Europe and the wider world.
The launch of the revised curriculum marked the culmination of many years' work. While it had developed organically from the 1971 curriculum and had maintained its child-centred philosophy and principles, it contained significant changes in emphasis.
Over the last two years the Government had given priority to investment in primary education. Direct funding of schools had been increased by over one third, capital funding had been doubled. Primary schools now had the lowest average class sizes in our history. This September, every school had been staffed to a maximum class average of 30.
Special need supports had been improved, every school had been given information and communications technology capability and special grants had increased the availability of books and equipment.
The revised curriculum, the Minister said, aimed to ensure that all children were provided with learning opportunities which recognised and celebrated their uniqueness, developed their full potential and prepared them to meet the challenges of today's world and of the 21st century. The focus was on the child as learner and the emphasis was on promoting learning and teaching contexts which developed the knowledge, skills and concepts necessary for personal fulfilment, for citizenship and for lifelong learning.
The revised curriculum sought to foster the development of key skills in communication, problem solving, critical thinking, inquiry, investigation and analysis and social and personal awareness and interaction. These, the Minister noted, were the skills and competencies required in an ever-changing and increasingly complex society. A core objective was the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills.
Commenting on the main changes, Mr Martin pointed to the new Irish curriculum, which was based on a communicative approach and the revised English curriculum, which contained new approaches to language learning, reading and writing. The mathematics curriculum placed a greater emphasis on problem solving, while social, environmental and scientific education placed an increased emphasis on science, the use of the environment and the development of skills for every class from junior infants upwards. In the arts, the focus represented a balance between making and appreciation in the visual arts and listening and responding and performing and composing in music. Drama was a new area of study.
Parents had a key role to play in bringing the curriculum to finality. In the autumn, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment would produce a parents' booklet which would outline the broad contents and emphases of the curriculum.