Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1108. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education the number of students who took politics and society as a subject for the leaving certificate in each of the years 2018 to 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40851/22]
View answerFrom September 2018, a new specification for Leaving Certificate, Politics and Society, was introduced as a full optional Leaving Certificate subject. Politics and Society aims to develop the learner’s capacity to engage in reflective and active citizenship, informed by the insights and skills of social and political sciences. Politics and Society is organised in four strands, each structured around key concepts. These are:
- Strand 1 Power and decision-making
- Strand 2 Active citizenship
- Strand 3 Human rights and responsibilities
- Strand 4 Globalisation and localisation
Politics and Society is characterised by an exploration of different ideas about the most appropriate means and ends of human participation in civic, social and political life. Learners take certain issues and look at them in their own local context, then also consider them in a broader context: through this they engage in comparative study. Over the course of their studies, learners engage with a balance of national, European and wider-world contexts and with both qualitative and quantitative data. One of the key objectives of Politics and Society is to develop an understanding of and a respect for human rights and responsibilities, for human dignity and for democratic modes of governance.
The following is a breakdown of the number of students who took Politics and Society as a subject for the Leaving Certificate in each of the years 2018 to 2021.
2018/19 – 2,261
2019/20 – 3,476
2020/21 – 4,084.
