Vol. 432 No. 1
13 Mr. McGahon asked the Minister for Education her views on the fact that there appears to be very little scope in the current post-primary curriculum for the regular usage of daily newspapers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
56 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Education her views on the fact that there appears to be very little scope in the current post-primary curriculum for the regular usage of daily newspapers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
70 Mr. Lowry asked the Minister for Education her views on the fact that there appears to be very little scope in the current post-primary curriculum for the regular usage of daily newspapers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
105 Mr. Connor asked the Minister for Education her views on the fact that there appears to be very little scope in the current post-primary curriculum for the regular usage of daily newspapers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13, 56, 70 and 105 together.
I cannot accept that the current post-primary curriculum provides very little scope for the regular usage of daily newspapers. Media studies, (including the specific study of newspapers), is an integral part of the English courses at junior certificate level. The leaving certificate programme in English allows ample scope to teachers to use newpapers as sources of suitable material.
Newspapers carry articles from time to time on topics of direct relevance to other subjects in the post-primary curriculum, for example current affairs, history, economics, business organisation and so on. Teachers are free, and indeed, encouraged to draw on these articles in class work. If the Deputies would like to suggest areas within the curriculum where more newspaper coverage would be useful to students I would welcome their suggestions.
The question refers to daily newspapers. The question was tabled by Deputy McGahon and I should like to ask the Minister what educational use could be gained in classrooms from the Sunday newspaper for which Deputy McGahon is a columnist? If she cannot think of any use for it in the classroom does she see a use for it in any other room in the school?
The Deputy is in fine form. I was not aware, as I do not read the particular newspaper, that we have a columnist from one of the Sunday newspapers on the Opposition benches.
We have several, one of whom is anonymous.
In media studies I would hope there would be a cross-section of newspapers, not newspapers which are read in particular constituencies. A very interesting project in which a class might involve itself would be to take a national story and examine how it is dealt with in different newspapers and then to ask the pupils to form opinions on how reliable are newspaper stories. I use that as an example and I know it is not a new suggestion to teachers. That is happening in the media module and in the junior certificate. In addition students are invited to produce their own newspapers, prepare their own headlines and write their own editorials. The mass madia module is very exciting. We have more experience of the junior certificate in the school system and this is something which will be encouraged at leaving certificate level.
Does the Minister accept, in the context of media studies and the teaching of English, that a certain amount of use is made of newspapers in the classroom? Does she accept that in any modern democracy there is scope for further and more extended use of newspapers as vehicles of learning the tools of democracy? In a country where we have no formal political science course or civics education in any structured form there is an overwhelming need, under some umbrella, for the further use of newspapers in the classroom. It is not unusual to find extremely well educated students in Ireland today who obtain a high number of points for entry to university——
A question please, Deputy.
——who cannot handle the daily newspapers well. That is a big lack in our education system.
I have no hesitation in agreeing with the Deputy that there is plenty of scope for a further extension of the use of newspapers. As we become familiar with the junior certificate module we will make further use of newspapers through the school system. I take the point made about the tools of democracy. It is accepted that there is not the political division in the newspaper industry here that we see in other countries. The way newspapers handle various crises and problems, and how editorials are written in response to the behaviour of Members of this House, should be studied. It saddens me to think that there may be students, who will achieve a high number of points in the examinations who have not been introduced to newspapers. Following the introduction of the promised civics programme there will be a role for the study of news reporting. In regard to the tool of democracy, newspapers and media generally have a role to play. We should prepare our young adults to scrutinise this role in as free and open a forum as possible. There is a use for an examination of the reporting of the political aspects of our life in the civics programme.
I will ask a brief question in anticipation of a brief reply. Is there any necessity for censorship of any of the daily publications in the schools?
No.
A good answer.
