JOINT COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND SCIENCE debate -
Thursday, 22 Jul 2004

EU Awareness in Schools: Presentations.

Chairman

The business of today's meeting is a discussion with representatives of the Department of Education and Science and the City of Dublin VEC curriculum development unit on EU awareness campaigns and programmes at primary and secondary levels. Attending of behalf of the Department are Mr. Christopher McCamley, assistant principal officer, and Ms Doreen McMorris, assistant chief inspector. Attending of behalf of the CDVEC curriculum development unit are Mr. Conor Harrison, Ms Deirdre Phelan and Mr. Aidan Clifford, director. They are all very welcome.

Members of the committee have absolute privilege but the same privilege does not apply to witnesses appearing before it. Members should be reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House, or an official, by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

This is an appropriate time to be dealing with this topic. We will begin with a presentation by the Department.

Ms Doreen McMorris

I thank the Chairman for inviting us to discuss this topic. The presentation on behalf of the Department of Education and Science will be in two parts, which I hope will dovetail. In the first part, I will outline the contribution of the primary curriculum to EU awareness and give an overview of the role played by the mainstream subjects at post-primary level. In the second part, my colleague, Mr. Christopher McCamley, will present a range of initiatives that contribute in general to EU awareness-raising in schools. I will read part of the paper I have circulated and members may refer to any aspect of it afterwards.

A revised primary curriculum was introduced in 1999. During its revision there was consensus on the need to include an emphasis on the European dimension. In keeping with the holistic construct of the primary curriculum, the development of European awareness is dealt with in an integrated manner throughout the curriculum. Particular reference is made to the EU dimension in four of the seven curriculum areas — language; social, personal and health education; social, environmental and scientific education, which includes history and geography; and arts education.

I will give the committee a few examples of how EU awareness infiltrates the curriculum. In the SPHE curriculum, a broad objective is that the child should begin to understand the concepts of personal, local, national, European and global identity. In one of the strands, the objective is that the child should become aware of some of the cultures, lifestyles and languages of some countries in the EU and the wider world. This should involve learning about the countries in the EU, identifying some of the effects of the European Parliament on Irish life, exploring the interdependence of countries and peoples and learning about each other through sport and music. Teachers are advised in the guidelines that topics such as these can be developed across other subjects, such as geography, history, music and languages. An integrated approach is strongly recommended.

By studying geography at primary level, children should become familiar with the principal cities of the EU and learn about the mainfeatures of Europe, such as the Alps, the Rhine and the Mediterranean. The focus is on developing the children's geographical understanding rather than rote memorisation. For example, in human geography the children explore themes within context. This is quite a change from the older approach. For example, they would study the theme of transport or perhaps economic activities in one of four suggested contexts, one of which is the European context. This shows how the EU is well recognised in geography.

The aim of the history syllabus is that children will develop a sense of personal, local, national, European and wider identity. There is a particular focus on children developing an appreciation of the notion of tolerance and that the idea of treating people equally had to evolve over time. It is envisaged that children will acquire insight into the actions and attitudes of people in contemporary Ireland and that this will contribute to their development as young Europeans.

Built into the curriculum is an understanding that the learning of foreign languages is very important in terms of cultural awareness. There is a modern languages initiative running in primary schools. It started in 1998 and involves the teaching of Italian, Spanish, German and French to fifth and sixth class students. It currently involves 394 schools.

Teachers are supported and informed about the value of modern information and communication technologies to enhance the European awareness dimension of the primary curriculum. Recently published guidelines give them specific direction on how to use resources such as Scoilnet, a portal that involves a partnership of 20 European ministries.

On the post-primary curriculum, the first area that should be mentioned is civic, social and political education, CSPE. This is a compulsory subject for all post-primary students in the junior cycle. It is taken by 55,000 to 60,000 students each year. The most obvious part of that syllabus which is relevant to today's topic is the unit entitled "Ireland and the world", through which students examine why and how states group together. They do so by exploring international groupings such as the EU, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. It is important to note that CSPE has a fluidity that sets it apart from other syllabi. For example, when dealing with the concept of democracy teachers are encouraged to use active learning methodologies and to explore topical issues. In that context, it is common for European Parliament elections, mock elections, visits by MEPs and so on to be part of the learning experience for students. The CSPE support service, in partnership with the curriculum development unit of CDVEC, provides a steady stream of resources for CSPE teachers. Since there is to be a separate presentation I will not dwell on them but I will mention one in particular, namely, the vote, gender and participation in democracy resource, which was funded by the gender equality unit of the Department and which is particularly relevant to this topic. The committee will hear about it later.

It is important to mention that Irish CSPE experts play significant parts in and also benefit from the development of citizen education across Europe. Irish representatives have been very involved in recent times in helping new democracies in eastern Europe to develop syllabi and to share our practices with them.

History is taken by approximately 90% of post-primary students in the junior cycle. There are a number of areas in which the EU is considered within the current syllabi for both higher and ordinary level students. At leaving certificate level, history is provided in the majority of schools and approximately 11,000 students choose to take it each year. The current leaving certificate history syllabus covers the 1870 to 1966 period. It deals with the moves towards European unity since 1945 and covers the Benelux countries, the Schumann plan, the Treaty of Rome and so on.

A revised leaving certificate syllabus will be introduced in September 2004 which has a much broader approach to European awareness. The current syllabus has a heavy political emphasis but the new approach will study the topics from the perspectives of politics and administration, society and the economy, culture, religion and science. The date parameters in the new revised syllabus have been changed to relate to the period 1815 to 1990. Details of the specific topics are contained in the presentation.

Geography in the junior and senior cycles aims to encourage post-primary pupils to develop a sensitive awareness of peoples, places and landscapes, both in their own country and elsewhere. Junior certificate students are asked to consider the use of the earth's resources, which includes water supplies, fish stocks, energy provision and the uneven distribution of wealth. To develop these topics, references are made to EU environmental directives such as the Common Fisheries Policy and the EU energy policy. Of particular relevance to Ireland are the regional and structural policies and their role in addressing the imbalance in development between the core and peripheral regions in Europe.

The importance of the EU dimension is also reflected in the examinations. In the 2004 geography exams, questions required knowledge of fish conservation measures and the implications of EU enlargement. As is the case in respect of history, a revised syllabus for leaving certificate geography will be introduced in September of this year in which there is considerable coverage of EU initiatives and EU-related topics within the syllabus, details of which are contained in the document.

Economics is a senior cycle subject which is particularly relevant in this regard. A major requirement of the economics syllabus is that it relates to events in the national, European and global economies. The relationship between economic policies in Ireland and the EU is particularly important. Students cover topics such as the EU institutions, the regional and structural funds, the CAP and its implications for Irish agriculture and the enlargement of the EU. The economics syllabus is currently being revised by the NCCA and it is expected in the revised syllabus that students will have certain core units as well as an option. A current draft of the syllabus, although it is not finalised, includes a provision that one of the two available options will be on the EU, the other seems as though it will be on Irish agriculture. There is no reason to suggest they will change and it demonstrates that economics is focusing on EU issues.

While the European studies project is not strictly speaking a subject, it is relevant to our discussions. The ESP was established as far back as 1986 and has since promoted the joint study and communication among students and teachers in 20 European jurisdictions. Its aim is to increase mutual understanding, awareness and tolerance among the youth of contemporary Europe. The programme is funded jointly by the Department of Education and Science and its corresponding department in Northern Ireland. There are currently 111 post primary schools in the Republic of Ireland involved in the ESP. The project has two programmes of study — a junior programme and a senior programme taken mainly by transition year students.

Units in both programmes are designed to assist students in examining not only areas of shared understanding but also areas of past conflict. The programmes are intended to broaden students' knowledge and understanding of their own place and their relationship to others in the Europe of today. Students are encouraged and assisted in using technology as an effective tool in communication and, particularly in the senior programme, to develop and ability to understand and communicate in at least one non-native language.

An extensive range of resources is provided to the schools involved in this project and of particular interest is a new resource which is being developed on Europe which is designed for transition year students. The idea is that this will be disseminated to all schools and that those offering transition year will be in a position to offer students a module on European studies if they are not already in the ESP. The project will therefore have an effect across the board in time.

This whistlestop tour is intended to give members an overview of how the primary curriculum and subject syllabi at post primary level give students opportunities to develop an awareness of the EU. There are other areas which are relevant, including business, home economics — social and scientific — and the social education course within the LCA programme. Unfortunately, there is no time to deal with those, therefore, I will hand over to Mr. McCamley, who will deal with the second part of our presentation.

Mr. Christopher McCamley

I will deal with the areas of competitions, additional resource materials, programmes under Léargas and some initiatives related to the Irish Presidency. I presume members have the brief in front of them, therefore, I will highlight some of its points rather than reading through it. The Louvain Institute EU awareness campaign for post-primary schools was run in 2001-02 and 2002-03 with the support of the European Commission and the Department of Education and Science and its counterpart in Northern Ireland. Approximately 150 schools have participated in the programme during these years and it is hoped the competition will be held again in the future.

Participant schools nominate teachers to attend a four day course in Louvain in Belgium. They then return and encourage a campaign of EU awareness within their own schools which culminates in a competition for an essay. A judging panel selects ten finalists and the winners are brought to the European Parliament on a trip. A major competition, which has been running since 1969, is the Europe at School competition. It has a broader remit than the European Union as it includes the Council of Europe and the European Cultural Foundation and focuses on the notion of citizenship within the whole European continent. The theme for 2004-2005 is "being a citizen in a changing Europe". This year, as part of the EU Presidency website, a special competition for Europe Day was run called "Spring Days". It was a fact-finding competition on the website on which students looked for facts on Europe which were available on the website.

A particularly interesting competition which has developed in the past few years as part of the national forum on Europe is the "Dear Hector" competition — Hector being Hector ÓhEochagáin of RTE's "Only Fools Buy Horses" programme. The competition, which is held at regional and national level, involves students taking part in debates and submitting essays on general European themes. It was originally established for transition year students only and a video and a pack were produced for schools operating the TY programme. However, the most recent competition has been extended to include all fifth year students and is open to all schools. This year, as part of the Presidency, the modern languages initiative in the primary schools ran a competition to produce a European calendar, entitled "Europe and Me". Many schools participated and the calendar which was produced was sent to every school in the country.

I have mentioned a few competitions which were organised by the European Parliament office including the monthly graduate competition for monthly trips to the European Parliament and the Euroscola programme. A huge wealth of resources is produced by a whole range of bodies within the EU and Ireland. I will touch on the most important ones. A CD ROM entitled "Me, You and the EU" was produced by the Communicating Europe task force, which is chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Junior and senior cycle students can use this CD ROM in a range of curriculum areas which I have listed: CSPE, history, geography, economics and business. It has been sent to all primary and post-primary schools. Léargas produced the Europa diary and sent it to all transition students around the country. It focuses on the consumer protection aspect of EU policy. Many of the committee members have seen the new Europe map produced by The Irish Times and co-sponsored by the Department of Education and Science, in April and May. An Irish version was produced and sent to all-Irish schools. The “In Search of Europe” pack and video, produced jointly by the Department of Education and Science through the transition year support service and the European Commission representation in Ireland, was a significant resource in the past ten years. It was designed mainly for transition year students but it has a wide scope and can be used by other students too. A new video is being produced to update the one in that pack.

Léargas is the national agency for the management of transnational education programmes of which Socrates is of most interest to us because it deals with education. The purpose of that programme is to promote the European dimension of education and to improve educational quality between the participating countries, namely the EU plus EFTA and the applicant countries. Comenius and Lingua are the principal actions of relevance to us under Socrates. Comenius comprises the areas of school partnerships, the training of staff involved in school education and the establishment of networks for school projects. Lingua focuses on areas of learning and teaching European languages.

Under the Presidency, two brochures were produced and widely distributed, covering the Irish Presidency's priorities, and the Lisbon Agenda. The Scoilnet website produced a great deal of information on the EU and the accession countries. Primary and post-primary students participated in selecting Ireland's Presidency logo by registering their preferred option on-line — so we can blame them for it. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, with responsibility for youth affairs, Deputy de Valera, hosted a national conference for young people in May, called "The EU and You". A total of 160 people between the ages of 15 to 25 met and focused on five topics through a range of workshops, namely, what the EU means for young people; whether it is democratic; the EU and the Third World; foreign policy; and the environment. The Minister of State also conducted a useful information programme in a range of post-primary schools throughout the country during which she visited 36 schools to discuss young people and politics. We are starting to receive feedback from the schools which suggests that it went well.

Mr. Aidan Clifford

On behalf of my colleagues at the City of Dublin VEC curriculum development unit, I thank the committee for the invitation to discuss the ongoing progress and development of projects and programmes on EU awareness. I am accompanied by Conor Harrison who is the national co-ordinator of the CSPE programme and by Deirdre Phelan who is project officer of the increasing participation and gender balance in democratic structures project in the CDVEC curriculum development unit, and is also a teacher in St. Kieran's college in Kilkenny.

The presentation comprises three elements. The first will focus on the subject of the CSPE; in the second Ms Phelan will talk about the use of votes within the CSPE; and finally, I will briefly review other factors that contribute to EU awareness. Each member of the committee has received a folder containing several publications which may be burdensome because there is a great deal there but it might also be useful in the future. We have separated the sections into appendices relevant to the areas of our presentation. I thank those agencies and individuals from other organisations who contributed some of the documents to this folder. It will be helpful for the committee members to see some of the documents that are going into the schools. I now call on Mr. Conor Harrison to discuss the CSPE perspective.

Mr. Conor Harrison

Awareness of all things European features quite strongly in the civic, social political education course. A cursory glance at the latest edition of the CSPE newsletter which the members will find in the pack is a concrete way to present the European Union and how it can feature in CSPE classrooms around the country. Many of the 150,000 CSPE students explored Ireland's Presidency in some way or organised mock elections during the recent European Parliament elections. This is not surprising because the junior certificate in CSPE focuses on active democratic citizenship and is based on human rights and social responsibilities. As John F.Kennedy said, one person can make a difference and every person should try. That sentiment is echoed in the primary aim of the CSPE syllabus which is to prepare students for their role as active participatory citizens.

Since 1997 this course has been mandatory in all post-primary schools. It is a short course, allocated one class period per week, or its equivalent, which is about 70 hours over the three years of the junior cycle. It began as a pilot in the CDVEC curriculum development unit and arose out of concerns about the former civics course which existed from 1966 to 1996. In order to consult with a wide group of educational partners, the Department of Education and Science and the NCCA conducted this pilot project. Every post-primary school in the country was invited to get involved and between 139 and 330 schools got involved over the three years of the pilot. Several curriculum development projects in the unit continue to support the development of this course and citizenship education in general. There are projects on poverty, reconciliation, interculture and democracy, gender and participation about which Ms Phelan will speak.

As Ms McMorris mentioned, the CSPE course is fluid in that it is constructed around seven core concepts — democracy, rights and responsibilities, human dignity, interdependence, development, law and stewardship. By taking up this course, students should develop a broad understanding of these concepts and come to recognise how they serve collectively but not exclusively to inform and clarify the concept of citizenship. The course is broken down in to four units, beginning with the individual and citizenship, working out to the citizen's role in the community, the State and the wider world. The sequence of these units of study is developmental, taking the student as the starting point, then proceeding to the wider world.

These units are presented as unit descriptions rather than as specific lists of topics to be covered which makes it quite different from any other syllabus document. By doing this the course committee set out clear directions and expectations for exploring the course concepts and units but also left considerable scope for teachers to respond effectively to their students' needs and interests within their own communities.

CSPE is not just a course which enables students to learn about citizenship but also about learning for and through citizenship. The methodologies used in class are extremely important in enabling students to develop skills, attitudes and values regarding active participatory citizenship, as well as the essential knowledge. Students understand and have a greater chance of remembering things in which they were actively involved in learning-by-doing. For this to occur, active group learning situations must take place. Little wonder that DT Naylor, as part of his advocacy of active and participatory learning, uses "citizen" as a verb: "If you want to learn to ‘citizen', you need to do more than read books and take courses."

Civic, social and political education seeks to employ a combination of different methodologies, particularly active learning methods where students are at the centre. The importance of the participation of students is recognised in their requirement to undertake two action projects over the three years of the CSPE course in order to put their learning into practice. Students are rewarded with 60% of their marks for reporting on the action taken. It is important that this background is provided to enable students to understand where Europe fits in. Students may study a module consisting of ten to 12 classes on the concept of interdependence with a particular focus on the European Union. At an early stage in this module, it may be appropriate to invite a guest speaker to the classroom to inform the students about Ireland's connections with the EU. The class may decide that an MEP is the most appropriate guest speaker. It is the students who invite, welcome, interview and evaluate the visitor, having sought the prior approval of the school management. Some committee members may have been invited to CSPE classes as part of an action project where students take responsibility ranging from welcoming the speaker to asking some hard questions to providing the tea and biscuits afterwards. This is the action project component of their work. Traditionally when the teacher organised and took charge of such a visit, the students missed out on several learning situations which are important for developing active citizens.

In this context, CSPE students explore the wider world. Each of the seven core course concepts provides opportunities for students to engage with the EU. While developing their understanding of rights and responsibilities students may explore the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. The concept of human dignity provides opportunities for students to explore issues such as disability, racism, Travellers, asylum seekers and other minority groupings. European aspects may also feature here. Development as a concept provides many opportunities for students to explore their own communities and see ways in which they have benefited from EU membership. This concept also encompasses the expansion of the European Union and its new member states.

The developing world and stewardship of the environment are other concepts. While investigating litter, pollution, waste management and recycling students may look at local, national and European Union recommendations and solutions. The democracy concept allows students to explore what living in a democracy means at local, national, European and international level. In the last academic year, many students carried out mock European elections and investigated Ireland's Presidency of the EU. Many students invite MEPs to visit their classrooms on an ongoing basis. The concept of law provides opportunities for students to explore the Constitution, the work of the Garda, the courts, the EU Constitution, the making of laws at national and European level and the operation of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Court of Justice, the Court of First Instance and the European Court of Auditors.

The concept of interdependence provides opportunities for students to explore Ireland's membership of international groupings such as the UN, the Council of Europe and the EU. Within this concept, students often look at the various institutions that make up the EU allowing for students to explore their connections and interactions with the EU. Current news stories or topical issues provide the most interesting and captivating starting point for students. If students were still at school now, they would be looking at the whole notion of the new EU Commission and Commissioners.

In the context of action projects, students have been involved in many different Europe-based action projects. These include raising awareness about Ireland's Presidency of the EU and the Spring Days events, referred to by Mr.McCamley. Another example is Europe Day on 9 May each year where students organise awareness activities in their schools from European lunches to table quizzes on the Europe Union. The celebration of European Years, such as the 2003 European Year of People with Disabilities and the 2005 European Year of Citizenship through Education are other examples of action projects. Raising awareness with the introduction of the euro currency generated much interest with students. Another example is the invitation of guest speakers such as MEPs, EU Commissioners, members of the European Movement, the President of the European Parliament, the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs and European parliamentary election candidates. Visits to the European Public Information Centre, the European Parliament and investigations into projects funded by the EU, such as new roads, Luas, etc., make up other action projects. A number of schools celebrated accession day on 1 May this year.

As a support team we have been actively involved in promoting the European dimension of the course by engaging with the European studies project team and personnel from the European Commission and the European Parliament in developing materials specifically for CSPE teachers and students which will raise further awareness about the EU. Hopefully, this resource will available for schools in the autumn. It will include background information on the EU, classroom activities and ideas for action projects. There are many other resources which help CSPE teachers and students to explore Europe further.

Over the past seven years a number of excellent teaching and learning resources have been produced by the CDVEC curriculum development unit to support CSPE in the classroom. A number of these have focused on different aspects of Europe. For example, making human rights work includes an entire section on European human rights law and the work of the European Court of Human Rights. The most recent CSPE resource produced in the spring entitled VOTE focuses on democracy, equality, participation and elections which also tackles the European dimension of citizenship.

Ms Deirdre Phelan

All committee members will have received the pack regarding the VOTE resource. VOTE is an example of the work currently being developed by the curriculum development unit for teachers of civic, social and political education, with funding provided by the gender equality unit of the Department of Education and Science. Within this resource awareness is raised about the European Union. The overall aim is to increase awareness of the value of participation and gender balance in democratic political life at all levels, one of which is the European Union, and to address the issues of equality of access and participation in democratic decision-making. This proposal arose out of discussions on the best use of the National Women's Council publications, Irish Politics — Jobs for the Boys!, and, Put More Women in the Picture, which were circulated to all second level schools by the gender equality unit. This resource pack was initially introduced in pilot format in order to focus on the local and European parliamentary elections and each second level school received two copies just after Easter. As civic, social and political education, CSPE, is a short course, the structure chosen for this project was a module of work, which is ten to 12 classes incorporating an action project. This module has been designed around a core section exploring the concept of democracy in the broadest sense followed by two optional sections based on local government and the European Parliament where students would engage with the democratic structures of either of these or both, time permitting. The approach used in each of the classes is that of active learning where students engage with activities appropriate to their age and abilities. For example, in the core section on democracy students carry out a voting exercise based on an issue relevant to them but using the CSO statistics of 58.5% of 18 to 19 year olds who did not vote in the last general election and what can happen as a result of such a low turnout.

Another class looks at an extract from a diary of a young suffragette in which she describes being force-fed in prison as a result of her beliefs. Students examine case studies of voting practices in other countries such as Australia where they have compulsory voting, Kuwait where women do not have a vote and Macedonia where the practice of family voting is still rife. Students then learn about representation and what it means, and have the opportunity to set up their own political party and to devise campaign strategies for getting elected. The mechanics of voting and proportional representation are subjects of the last class in this section.

For students to become active citizens of any of the communities in which they live be it local, national, European or international they need fundamental information about the workings of democracy and how they can become active participative citizens in these various levels of democracy. Once students have worked through the democracy section they are ready to move on to the application of democracy in Europe. In this section the issue of expansion is discussed and the criteria which countries had to meet before being allowed to join is highlighted particularly the fact that democracy was one of the main points here. Through a very simple flags activity students are made aware of all of the countries which are now part of the European Union. A passage entitled "The EU and You" gives students a sense of the impact and extensive influence of the EU on their daily lives, and they learn that decisions taken in the European Parliament are put into practice by our own Government and from there to local government.

The next class deals with representation in the European Parliament and the work of an MEP. Posters issued by the European Union for the European elections this year encouraging people to vote for a gender balance in the European Parliament raise the issues of representation and imbalanced decision-making and the possible consequences of this.

The last class in this section designed specifically for election times involved students in profiling all of the European candidates in their area. Students collected election literature, cut out the pictures of the candidates and had to fill out a form which requested information about the person involved. A significant part of this exercise was to highlight the various issues and discuss them.

Each of the classes from the core section on democracy to the European Parliament raises issues for students where they are given an opportunity to think, and to discuss and debate their opinions. Each class includes an optional homework or follow-up activity which allows students to investigate issues beyond that discussed in the class, furthering their knowledge of the subject. Conor Harrison has spoken about the action projects which could be linked to these topics. I know that mock elections were very popular in May when many candidates were elected before the result was known in June.

This resource is currently in pilot format. The decision to distribute this version was made in order not to miss the valuable learning opportunities for students engaging with the electoral processes, particularly as it was current at the time. In effect this resource is incomplete as it does not include a section on national government. However, an updated version will be completed in the autumn and distributed to all schools. The classes specifically designed for election times will remain but alternative classes will be added that will focus on showing students how to access the democratic structures and organisations which surround them and how they can get involved and make their opinions known.

Each copy of VOTE was distributed to teachers containing an evaluation form and an accompanying letter explaining the nature of the resource and a request to complete the evaluation to help further develop the resource. Results from these evaluations and consultations with teachers were very positive and the final version of this resource will reflect the comments, observations and suggestions of those who contributed. One of the questions asked teachers to propose additional support material they felt they might need when using this pack and what is interesting is that most of those recommendations centred around additional material on the European Parliament itself, the European Union and the countries involved. This would suggest that teachers themselves are interested in further raising their own awareness of the European Union and European issues.

I personally piloted this resource with four first year classes whose students were aged 12 to 13 years. They enjoyed the work and became very politically aware in the process. I had my classroom walls adorned with profiles and issues of all of the various candidates for the local and European elections. Other teachers were amazed at the levels of knowledge and understanding of the issues these students displayed when asked to speak about what they were doing. Candidates were questioned on doorsteps by these students and asked to explain their campaigns and in particular what they were going to do for young people. Almost all of the students were determined to accompany their parents to the polling stations to see how the process worked but also to ensure their parents voted.

On completion of this resource, I asked my students to comment on the work they had done and outline their thoughts about democracy and politics. I have provided a selection of comments made, such as: "I don't understand why people don't vote — I can't wait to do it"; "I am going to make sure my mother votes"; "I didn't realise how many decisions Europe makes for us"; and "If so many decisions are being made for us in the European Parliament why don't people really care about who they vote for?" We should note these comments were made by 12 to 13 year old students.

Mr. Clifford

Many other programmes and projects while focusing on a specific theme also have a European and EU dimension. For example, the Education for Reconciliation project funded by the Programme for Peace and Reconciliation links CSPE in the South with the local and global citizenship in the North in exploring themes such as peace building, interdependence, diversity and inclusion within the context of the EU and the wider world. In a partnership with the Combat Poverty Agency, the project known as "Poverty, the Curriculum and the Classroom" focuses on the principles of inclusion and openness which are major concerns of the EU.

The area of intercultural education brings a wider perspective and sets the scene and interest in exploring beyond the local and national to the European, global and universal dimensions. Projects in response to the Department of Education and Science draft recommendations towards a national action plan promoting anti-racism and interculturalism in education such as the "Islam and Equality" project based in our sister organisation the Shannon curriculum development centre and the project "Interculturalism — a Whole School Approach" based in the CDU, together with the use of publications such as "Changing Perspectives" and other related activities mentioned at previous joint committee meetings are contributing to the exploration of concepts such as European citizenship, a topic being considered by the current Dutch EU Presidency.

While the concept of European citizenship and the citizen as consumer, producer, entrepreneur or voter is an important vehicle to an understanding of the EU, it is worth noting that the Council of Europe as an older and larger organisation has influenced the thinking on citizenship at EU level. In 2003, two copies of the Council of Europe JUMP poster, which outlines the many dimensions to citizenship, were distributed by the CDU to every secondary school and centre in the country. The Council recommendation 2002(12) of the Council of Ministers to member states, which details the teaching and learning values, has proved to be a good starting point in discussions on citizenship. It is also worth noting at EU level that the motive to the further development in this area seems to be increasingly influenced by security and anti-terrorism considerations, hopefully not to the detriment of the development and anti-poverty dimension.

The further education sector has a number of courses in areas such as European studies, consumer studies and interculturalism which help in raising awareness of the EU. The experiences gained by teachers of these courses have influenced developments at second level. However, the value of the EU will be more clearly seen by the learner whenever the proposed mechanism for cross-community recognition of qualifications, at all levels in education and training, is implemented. In Ireland negotiations are nearing completion for recognition across providers of certification regarding the new national framework of qualifications. The approach here is that, through the EU, we will be able to have increased mobility of people and recognition of qualifications right across Europe.

Developments in the non-formal sector are also contributing towards EU awareness. For example, the Tallaght Partnership Traveller women group has linked with Romania, Spain and Bulgaria in exploring citizenship at local and European level. The results of the project are now being disseminated through all levels of education. The work of the youth sector in the area is proving very valuable, particularly in the development and promotion of student councils.

Léargas has played a significant role in increasing awareness of the EU at all levels in education. In particular, many projects under Comenius funding have assisted students in recognising the value of the EU in broadening their own horizons. Léargas has given me its annual report and a Comenius newsletter is provided in the wallet. A significant achievement by Léargas was the distribution of 15,000 Europa diaries in May 2004 to secondary schools of which there are copies in the wallet.

I now come to future developments. There is the question of CSPE at senior cycle. In that context, the CDU in 2002 published Citizenship Studies, a curricular proposal for social and political education in the leaving certificate which would enable students to investigate core concepts at EU and other levels. In the recently published NCCA Directions for Development document, there is mention of the possible inclusion of a full course in civic and political education, with some short courses, for example European and global studies and politics and society. Those courses will, if introduced, enable students to develop further the attitudes, skills and knowledge developed as part of the junior certificate programme while also providing further opportunities for students to engage with the European dimension.

The proposed Council of Europe European Year of Citizenship through Education in 2005 will, one hopes, be formally launched in Bulgaria in late 2004 and have significant backing from the EU. Léargas will have access to a new round of EU funding to 2013 which will integrate existing funding structures and continue to provide resources to enhance greater participation and awareness of the EU. One area that Ireland should be concerned with is our capacity to communicate in three or four languages. There is a growing awareness that the ability to communicate through different languages is a necessary element towards genuine EU integration.

While there are many initiatives to raise EU awareness, that does not guarantee that there is yet a high level of awareness among the population at primary and secondary level. The EU will need to find ways to make itself even more accessible.

Chairman

Thank you all for the presentations, which contained a huge body of information to assimilate.

Deputy Stanton

I have two interests here, first, as a former teacher and, second, as a person with young children at both primary and secondary level. I have a personal interest in what is happening in schools. It delights me very often when I talk to my own children about Irish or European history and they seem to be so aware and up to date regarding what is going on around them in Europe, including recent history up to 1916, 1922 and when we joined the European Union. That they are aware of that is a great credit to the work and developments going on in schools. I support that and compliment the people involved.

One phrase jumped out of the presentation at me — the issue of becoming young Europeans. That was interesting. Does Mr. Clifford agree that part of this is to help children in Ireland and students to be more aware of their role in Europe? As a corollary, they also seem to become more aware of their role as Irish people. It is a case of being proud to be Irish and proud to be European too. Does Mr. Clifford agree with that? Does he find from his studies and evaluations that the whole issue of Irish identity and Irish culture is helped greatly by being reflected in Europe? In other words, if students from Ireland go abroad, invariably they start speaking Irish to each other. That is something I have come across time and time again. They will quite often not speak Irish at home, but they will do so when they go abroad to show that they can speak to each other without the others being able to understand what they are saying. Perhaps I am not putting this too well, but there is a pride in being Irish in the context of being European, and that is important. On that, I note that in other places there is a huge pride in raising the flag. In some countries there is a ceremony in the mornings where they raise the flag. Has that ever been considered in Ireland? In schools, students could raise the Irish and European flags in the morning. That would bring it home to people in a small but concrete sense that this is our flag and that of Europe too.

Perhaps the Department might tell us a little more about what resources are being put into expanding language teaching in primary schools and what must be done. We know from other presentations that we have seen here that the earlier young people learn languages, the better. If children start learning languages at a very young age, they have a great capacity, whereas, as we get older, we lose that. Are there any plans to introduce the teaching of those languages at a very young age when children have the capacity to learn languages in a fun way?

What evaluations have been carried out on the good work that has been done to date on European awareness to see if it is working? Informal, out-of-school youth education was mentioned twice regarding the Minister of State with responsibility for youth affairs, Deputy de Valera, who chaired a youth conference in Clare and visited schools. What interaction has the Department had with the out-of-school, informal youth organisations in the context of European studies? There is great potential. Unfortunately, the youth development plan, which was published a year ago, is dead in the water, since no money is being put into it at all. That is a crying shame. In that context, Foróige, the National Youth Council and the Youth Federation of Ireland are involved, as are various youth clubs and other organisations. What is happening there, and can more be done? CSPE is very exciting, and I am one of those who regularly visits classrooms and engages with the students. It is always a great pleasure. They are extremely challenging and knowledgeable. Well done to the teachers and the witnesses, who are involved in that. I always look forward to it. As a former teacher, I am keeping my hand in my trade in case anything happens with this job.

I understand there is only one class per week of CSPE in most schools, which seems very little. Some teachers prefer not to teach. Ms Phelan dealt comprehensively with this as regards enthusiasm and flair for teaching. It is important for a teacher to have a flair for teaching and a love of it. The plan is to develop CSPE at leaving certificate level. Perhaps the witnesses might talk about what the timetable on this is, if they know.

The European Union comes across in all of this as being a good and positive entity. I would agree. From a sociological point of view, however, are any of the "positive negatives" also being examined? Some people would argue that there are issues and problems as regards the European Union, dangers of a super state and all the rest of it. Are these concerns raised? I am sure they are.

How many schools are involved in the Europe Day and how successful is it? At the moment what comes across here is that the EU is a good thing. However, the world has changed enormously. Now we have terrorism as a major focus, extremism of all sorts, racism etc. I am sure these matters are discussed as well as part of the curriculum — the other, less happy side of it. How are such concepts and issues conveyed? Finally, what level of support is there for teachers in the school, teaching CSPE? Is it enough or is more support required?

Deputy Hoctor

I would like to welcome the deputation from the Department and associated people working with it and compliment them on the work they do in this area. I believe it is very important, and so much more crucial now because of the expansion of the EU. One of the great challenges for teachers and people such as Ms Phelan who are compiling the curriculum in book form, is the ever-changing aspect of EU partnership and participation. To a certain extent we have reached a threshold after 1 May. However, the turnover of elected people is also a constant challenge I would imagine, in keeping data up to date, because of the nature of this particular topic.

I have a few questions. Ms McMorris gave us the outline of history, particularly in the schools. I am interested to know how much is done on the history of Northern Ireland with pupils at primary level and indeed at second level, too. I understand that it is done more so at the leaving certificate than at junior certificate stage at second level. Thankfully, at last pupils are learning much more about their local history. There should be even greater emphasis on this. Those of us who came through the older regime would have been knowledgeable on the Iron Age, the Stone Age and so on but would not know one iota about the local castle or church and its architecture. That is much more to the fore, now, at both primary and second level. However, it needs to be introduced in those schools where it is not being done at present. It is contradictory that pupils know the history of other countries and are not familiar with their own heritage and environment which they pass on their way to school each day. This is something which needs greater emphasis.

To support what Deputy Stanton has said, I do not believe there is enough knowledge of protocol as regards the national flag. The flag is often abused. That knowledge should be imparted through the CSPE, the entire protocol, including the taking down of the flag at sunset. There is need for a greater awareness of its importance and, indeed, the national anthem. It would be interesting to know how many pupils know the national anthem at primary level, let alone secondary. It is certainly mumbled in Croke Park, but I am not certain how well it is known. This is something on which teachers should put a good deal of emphasis.

It is important that the Department looks at the language teaching in primary schools. I understand, and I could be wrong, that this is being done in a voluntary capacity, if at all, in schools at the moment. We must think seriously about introducing European languages at primary level, when pupils have the enthusiasm for them. This is most important for an island country. In my former work as a teacher, I was involved in the leaving certificate applied course and indeed, the CSPE. The leaving certificate applied course is wonderful, probably one of the greatest success stories of the Department of Education and Science. It was taking on all of these issues even before the primary level. It has been excellent and it is very important that the curriculum for the leaving certificate applied students is continued.

I want to commend Ms Phelan for her work. Her booklet is excellent. As a teacher, I can confirm there are relevant resources in it for young people. It will be interesting to see the final finished product. As regards the leaving certificate course and the issue of CSPE, perhaps I missed it, but I would like to know whether it will be compulsory or if it is to be an optional subject at senior level, when it is eventually introduced. Those are all my questions for the moment.

Senator Minihan

I thank the speakers for their informative presentation. If we were all to be honest with ourselves there is a deficit in Ireland as regards the broader issue of European politics and democracy. As politicians we must take a certain amount of responsibility for that, particularly as regards the adult population. When we look back at the Nice referendum and various related matters, the failure to connect with the people has been a problem. One sees light at the end of the tunnel, however, with a presentation such as this today. At least if we can get to the young people we may be forgiven for our sins. Hopefully, we can get them on track. I have encountered children who have participated in some of these pilot projects. It was the most hair-raising and frightening experience of my life. To go into a normal CSPE class, such as Deputy Stanton has referred to is something to be looked forward to. However, when a 14 year old challenges one with questions about which one has no idea, it is quite frightening. I was taken with the comment by Ms Phelan about some of the teachers coming back to raise their own awareness. Certainly, some of my encounters with 14 year old girls, in particular, for some reason, have made me take some further course. Many of us need pilot projects, ourselves. However, the whole concept is good. I am impressed by the scope and the attitude to it. Of course, tweaking will have to take place. The sooner we can get the CSPE at senior cycle, the better. I do not know how influential the committee can be in this regard or what it can say, but I would certainly be shouting from the rooftops in that regard. Children respond to this. I have some experience from setting up Cork City Council meetings where classes have been broken into different parties and given agendas, with the co-operation of the local authority which gave us the use of the chamber for a morning. It was my only chance ever to be a lord mayor and chair a meeting.

We saw recently where the Law Society does something similar for students. It holds a type of competition on presenting legal cases to create awareness. Children react to this type of education. If this can be introduced vis-à-vis politics and democracy, that would be great. What strikes me, having lived abroad in countries that do not have the benefits of democracy, is how much we take democracy for granted. It disheartens me that young people are so flippant about the right to vote. Emphasis should be placed on what trouble people in other countries must go to, to exercise their democratic rights and the difference in countries that do not have democracy. I know this topic is touched upon, but from my experience, the value of democracy is of major importance, regardless of what party a person chooses to support.

Previous speakers have raised specific issues. I support Deputy Hoctor's suggestion on the introduction of European languages at primary level. Communicating in foreign languages is a fact of life. We cannot continue to hold an insular view of our country and ourselves. One of the greatest compliments one can pay is to be able to communicate with a person in his or her own language, particularly when one is in the country. If one can reach a person at a young age, one can influence his or her future direction. We are leaving it far too late in trying to introduce European languages; that has been proven by children who live in countries with different dialects and how they can embrace a number of dialects at a very young age. I certainly believe we should introduce other languages earlier.

I compliment Ms Phelan and everyone associated with the project. Some Members will be doing a course during the summer.

Chairman

I too have been very impressed with the work that has been done on raising awareness of the European Union. As the European elections coincided with Ireland's Presidency of the Union, the media coverage was greater than normal and that may have been a help. Citizenship education, with which this overlaps, is not an area we have done particularly well in, and I am always reluctant to place an additional burden on schools, because having been in the classroom, I am aware there is a limit to what can be done. I agree with Deputy Stanton that the information is not assimilated on first hearing and a class period once a week is a significant time constraint. Anybody who has been in a classroom knows that one has to repeat something five or six times. This is a subject that demands pupil participation, which takes time. Deputy Stanton's point that youth work offers a less formal setting for people to learn about citizenship education and may spur people to take an interest in it is worthwhile.

We have focused on young people, but the sad truth is that few people have much to be proud of in terms of citizenship. Deputy Hoctor referred to our attitude to the national anthem and the Irish flag, and as Senator Minihan said, we take democracy for granted. Perhaps the greatest challenge for us is complacency. We do not have the obstacles that others must overcome. The increasing number of non-nationals in almost all parts of the country has the effect of forcing people to think of our place in the world and what we owe to others and how we benefit from their involvement in our society.

I had a peek at some of the documents, which are extremely impressive, and I was taken by the guerrilla marketing technique, which features in the European diary. I could not help but think that guerrilla marketing might work in this area, at least in terms of revisiting these issues. The challenge must be addressed not only at school level but by the media and at other participatory levels.

A great deal of work has gone into the presentations, for which I thank the members of the delegation.

Ms McMorris

Members have raised common issues and I will do my best to respond to them.

My colleague, Mr. McCamley, will cover anything I miss.

My response to the point raised by Deputy Stanton on young Europeans is that in the current primary curriculum and in the various syllabi at senior cycle, there is an emphasis on encouraging young people to develop a personal, local, national, European and a global identity and that runs through the syllabi that are relevant to the area. The focus would be to make the student conscious of the differences in those areas. That is as much as I can say. I acknowledge that a great deal of progress must be made and one of the significant obstacles is the lack of awareness among parents. While education and the curriculum can do so much, we must be aware of the importance of the home influence, an area of challenge for us.

I am not aware of any particular attention to the Irish flag, but it is an interesting point and I will carry it back and feed it into the support services. However, the national anthem is specifically mentioned in the primary curriculum in the context of music. It is recommended that the music teacher should develop it, but it is not compulsory.

The question of languages in the primary school is an area of priority for the Department and the policy on modern languages at primary and post-primary level is receiving a great deal of attention. Members may be aware that the Department is committed to the European agreement of mother tongue plus two other languages. As members may suspect, there are many issues around this and one of the key issues is the commitment to the Irish language. While the commitment across Europe is mother tongue plus two other languages, the position of the Irish language in that regard is not totally clear. The Department is totally committed that all pupils at primary level will study Irish. As I mentioned, a pilot project has been in place since 1998 in which 394 schools are involved. The NCCA, at the request of the Minister, has carried out a study of the pilot projects. Pilot projects cannot continue forever. Setting up a pilot project can often be the easy step; it is knowing what to do when the pilot comes to an end that is the real area of challenge. The NCCA has reported to the Minister and recommended that it revisit the matter of modern language in primary school when the primary curriculum has been fully implemented, which will be in 2007. The study highlights that schools are struggling to introduce the primary curriculum which is very broad and very comprehensive. As a result, it is difficult to evaluate how modern languages are bedding in at the schools in which they are currently taught. The basic construct of the primary curriculum is that it is a holistic, integrated curriculum, and the same curriculum should be provided to all children. Options should not be built into it because that would allow for inequalities to develop. The idea of having modern languages as an option does not rest easily with that and is one of the obstacles to introducing modern languages for primary students. The response might be to introduce modern languages for all students, but that raises issues about priorities and the importance of literacy and numeracy and other skills that have to be developed.

The research shows that while an early start is desirable, it is not critically important to the overall level of competence. That is an interesting point in the report from the NCCA. The NCCA is particularly concerned with language awareness as opposed to competency in the language. It is now going to carry out some research on language awareness in primary schools to provide the Minister with focused and relevant information when the primary curriculum is fully implemented. It is a very complex issue and is not completely related to resources. It would be dishonest of me not to say that resources are part of the picture, but there are very sound educational reasons for progressing slowly in this area.

No evaluation of European awareness levels has taken place because it is seen as something that infiltrates many subjects. There would be some measures of European understanding within CSPE, history and geography, but results are not readily available. Deputy Stanton also referred to work with informal youth groups. Many of the youth groups that are outside the formal system still use much of the syllabus that is in the mainstream. They choose what is suitable so that in Youthreach, the students will do some of the programmes and may well be following the junior certificate school programme. There is considerable overspill from the mainstream subjects into other areas.

Many members also raised the question of CSPE at leaving certificate level. A review of senior cycle education is currently taking place. I have spoken at length about this before. In that context, the needs outlined have been brought to the fore and feature in the initial advice provided to the Minister. At the moment, the proposals are quite broad and we cannot say what will happen or when the changes will occur. However, CSPE is definitely in there either as a short course or as a main subject. It is unlikely that any new subject will come in as a traditional leaving certificate subject at this stage because of all the other changes.

Deputy Hoctor raised concerns about history and how it deals with Northern Ireland. I am not a history specialist myself, but I can say that within the new syllabuses for history and geography, the structure will consist of core units and a number of electives from which the teachers choose. My understanding of history is that there is a really broad range of topics and that teachers can choose from those in accordance with their own areas of interest. The students also make choices so there is a lot of scope. I cannot answer on what is compulsory for the students, but we can provide the Deputy with the syllabuses if she wants to take a closer look. They are also available on the website. I could have given the members a little input on how European awareness is managed within the social education course of LCA but I realised I was running out of time. There is an aspect of the LCA which deals with this whole area. The advice from the NCCA on the senior cycle clearly states that the LCA should remain as a ring-fenced stand alone course. That is in keeping with what Deputy Hoctor said about her experiences of its success.

Mr. McCamley

I will just briefly mention some of the extra programmes that are dealt with by Léargas outside the mainstream schools and in the youth sector. The Leonardo da Vinci action programme implements the European Community vocational training policy, simultaneously supporting and supplementing action taken in the areas by member states. It deals with actions involved with mobility, certain pilot projects, language skills, transnational networks and developing reference materials. That would cover youth centres and other training programmes outside the formal school sector. The youth community action programme was established by a Council decision in 2000 and includes activities under some of the pre-existing programme such as youth for Europe and the European voluntary service programme, as well as the Socrates programme and the Leonardo da Vinci programme. It receives funding from the European Commission and the youth affairs section of my own Department. Léargas has responsibility for disseminating information about the youth programme. I am not an expert on it but I understand that grants are available under that programme for various projects and they all have a European dimension to them.

Mr. Clifford

It was mentioned that we have a critical approach to the European Union and whether it is seen as a good thing. We can rest assured that any projects that come through the unit are not based on propaganda at all. They are based on a critical appreciation of these structures and the questions that arise in that regard. There is an idea that identities are conflicting in some situations, but we may also have multiple identities that do not conflict. A case in point is where we can be both Irish and European, without having any sense of a clash. There are areas where identities are contested such as the use of symbols, flags and so on. We might have become sensitive in this respect in recent times. Different countries have much greater responses and view their concept of citizenship in a completely different way. France is a case in point. Others have a more inclusive sense of identity and can embrace a wider dimension. I mention that because of the work that we carry out in peace building in Ireland, both North and South, and elsewhere in Europe.

I want to move on to the non-formal sector and those involved in it. This will be an interesting development in the future. We have to appreciate that not all learning happens in schools or the formal sector and that resources are already going into the non-formal sector. Resources are going into the non-formal sector. Mr. McCamley mentioned the youth affairs section in the Department of Education and Science, but there are others. These resources are having an effect in terms of their links to the European Union and other understandings about the nature and purpose of existing youth organisations. I have opened tentative negotiations with the director of the City of Dublin Youth Service Board on a curriculum in this area, reflecting the experience from Northern Ireland of which we have knowledge. There is not the same imperative as in the formal sector but it would be interesting to have some development in that area.

On the issue of introducing an extra subject to the senior cycle, this is important to the curriculum development unit. We have invested much and gathered interested parties to assist us in promoting the idea. Ireland is one of a few countries which do not have a highly developed subject relating to politics, sociology or philosophy. Citizenship studies would incorporate a number of missing elements in the senior cycle. We will be working to promote this. We have entered into discussions with the NCCA and await the response of the Department of Education and Science. We are interested in this area because it is an integral part of the history of the unit.

Mention was made of support for teachers with regard to citizenship studies and CSPE. While some support is available for teachers of CSPE, which is in its second phase, there was stronger support in the past. Perhaps in the future, as we move from CSPE into citizenship studies, we will have continuing support so these areas of study can develop naturally. Citizenship as an issue is reflected across all levels, not just at CSPE, but at leaving certificate applied level and, hopefully, senior cycle.

Mr. Harrison

To answer Deputy Stanton's question about a negative view of Europe, I will echo what Mr. Clifford said. When training teachers we talk about how to teach controversial issues in a way that gives students an opportunity to view all sides of the argument and reach a decision. It is important to do so in this particular area so that we are not charged with indoctrination.

On the issue of culture, different identities and being both Irish and European, a number of resources exist to deal with this. One, entitled "Changing Perspectives", is included in the pack given to the committee. It is concerned with examining what it means to be Irish before looking at the idea of being anything else. The concept of what it takes to be Irish is often taken for granted. It gets lost in the mesh of other considerations. A number of other resources take a similar approach. What do we mean when we talk about being Irish?

The subject of the national anthem is often covered in Gaeilge class through Irish. As a result of the fluid nature of the CSPE syllabus, there is no list of requirements. The syllabus does not state that the teacher must explore the Irish flag or the national anthem. However, from anecdotal evidence we know that some teachers explore these areas when dealing with democracy and Ireland.

There was a question regarding how many schools get involved in Europe Day which takes place on 9 May. That is during the last four weeks of the school year and it causes difficulties for second level schools who have exams. It is problematic. Some schools move the date and have a Europe Day before Easter, for example. The other evidence we have of schools' participation is in examinations where students write about their action project. We know from anecdotal evidence rather than evaluation of a number of schools which have been involved in Europe Day in recent years.

A committee member mentioned meeting CSPE teachers with a flair for the subject and the challenge they face teaching it as one class per week. The NCCA's Nexus report in April 2002 expressed similar concerns. It is critical to have teachers who are interested in this subject because it deals with current information and teachers must be tuned into what is happening in the world. A different approach to the formal lecture style is required in the classroom. Much of the subject's success depends on the attributes of the teacher. CSPE helps students develop broad understandings. However, the course was not established as the sole area in which the student explores citizenship. One of the key goals of the junior and leaving certificates is that students are exposed to these dimensions across the curriculum. The CSPE class is a dedicated slot where students are given an opportunity to develop in a broad sense. It would be great if they had more time to do so.

Chairman

I thank the members of the delegation for their presentation, for answering our questions and for bringing us up to date on developments in this area.

The joint committee adjourned at 1.15 p.m. until 12.30 p.m. on Thursday, 29 July 2004.