Sir, – Gerry Bennett, chief executive of the Edmund Rice, Schools Trust, is of course correct to congratulate Minister for Education Joe McHugh for recognising the centrality of history in the education of young people (Letters, October 2nd).
He notes that history is popular with students and that nine out of 10 students have chosen the subject for their Junior Certificate. However, using this logic, the case for keeping geography a core subject is even more compelling than history.
Like history, nine out of 10 students choose to study Junior Certificate geography, but of far more significance is the fact that geography is the third most popular optional Leaving Cert subject, with over 46,000 students consistently choosing to study it – almost double the total for history.
The cynic in me cannot help but feel that part of the reason history has been granted special status (and geography has not) is that notable figures in Irish public life have championed its cause. – Yours, etc,
SEAN KEAVENY,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.