asked the Minister for Education the minimum number of subjects to be taught in secondary schools to justify the continuation of junior and senior cycle courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Senior Cycle Courses.
62.
I would refer the Deputy to the statement I made in the Dáil on the 13th of April last in regard to what I would consider to be a sufficiently broad senior cycle course. In order that a junior cycle course could be considered reasonably adequate in relation to catering for the aptitudes and ability of the pupils it should contain in addition to religious education, civics and physical education, Irish, English, mathematics, history and geography, science, a non-vernacular language, woodwork or metalwork, mechanical drawing or art, home economics and commercial subjects.
Would the Minister care to state the minimum number of subjects acceptable to him in order to justify the continuation of junior and senior cycles or is he just going to leave it so that civil servants can go around and say: "We are closing the course because we want to close the course"?
I have pointed out what I would regard as reasonable.
You have indeed.
63.
asked the Minister for Education if it is Government policy to discontinue senior cycle courses in schools with less than four hundred pupils.
No. Each case must be considered on its own merits and account taken of the various factors involved.