Sir, - In her letter (May 4th), the Minister for Education, Mr Breathach, failed to address a number of central issues relating to the current debate on the White Paper "Charting Our Education Future."
The dominant issue in this debate is that the Minister had decided - almost unilaterally it seems - to remove both geography and history as compulsory core subjects from the Junior Certificate curriculum. As a clear statement of Government policy the White Paper, therefore, runs directly counter to both the Green Paper and the clear recommendation of the NCCA that geography and history be retained as core courses at Junior Certificate level. Indeed geography is not even mentioned in the curricular framework section of the White Paper.
History teachers, historians and others have rightly argued for the retention of history as a core subject in the junior cycle. It is also important that the general public, parents and children be made more aware of the crucial role that geography as a subject plays at this critical formative level in a students' education.
Geography is a long established subject which is concerned with the complex relationships between societies and their environments. Young students find in geography a discipline which explores the nature of lived environments, in their own localities, regionally, nationally, and at European and the global levels. It is by definition a down to earth subject, concerned with key human concerns of the late 20th century such as landscape appreciation and environmental management, economic, social and regional development, Ireland's place in a changing Europe, Third World issues and the consequences of the globalisation of economies for all our lives. It is also a subject that familiarises young students with the political geography of international relations and conflicts.
The White Paper states that one of the central societal and individual developments to be achieved through education is "that Ireland's young people acquire a keen awareness of their national and European heritage and identity, coupled with a global awareness and a respect and care for the environment". The subject of geography clearly addresses these concerns and does so in the context of a long established and burgeoning literature and with the assistance of an established range of methods and skills which are passed on to the student. It is not a new kind of mixum gatherum subject, drawing bits and pieces from many subjects to create a single curriculum go between. Geography has always been a discipline of synthesis and integration that addresses the crucial interface between nature and society - it communicates to the students ways of seeing and understanding the world which transcends the divisions between the natural and human sciences.
The curricular frame work objectives of the junior cycle, as outlined in the White Paper, also stress the need for competence in literacy, numeracy and spoken language skills as well as practical skills including computer literacy and information technology. Apart from its emphasis on written assignments, geography at the junior level - and indeed at all levels - is a strongly visual subject: students learn to use maps, diagrams, and photographs as means of presenting and interpreting information about places: students also engage the world and gain vital practical and social skills via field work projects. And geography is a discipline where computer applications are well developed: the fact that graphics, in the form of maps and diagrams, are central to the assimilation of information about places confers a dynamism on computer assisted teaching in geography that applies to few, if any, other subjects in the second level curriculum.
At a time when other countries in Europe and the western world generally are highlighting the importance of geography (and indeed history) as a primary subjects in educating young students for the late 20th century, it is astonishing that the Minister has seen fit to go against the recommendations of the NCCA and many educational bodies in seeking to marginalise geography and history at the junior cycle. In terms of the Minister's own stated objectives to achieve a broad and balanced curriculum, to develop a relevant and appropriate core curriculum and concerns about the role of arts, science, teaching and computer teachings skills, both geography and history clearly remain essential building block subjects at this formative level. Geography teachers and many others are hoping that the NCCA - which has been asked to again review the core curriculum in the junior cycle - will stand over its original recommendation that geography and history be retained as core subjects at this junior cycle level. - Yours, etc.,
Professor of Geography,
University College,
Cork.