asked the Minister for Education whether holders of the leaving certificate must have qualified in (a) history and geography or (b) chemistry and physics, or both, before being called for the teaching profession.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Qualifications for Teaching Profession.
31.
A pass in history and geography at the Leaving Certificate examination is essential for candidates for the open competition for entrance to training colleges for national teachers. Physics and chemistry are optional subjects.
On this question of physics and chemistry, would the Minister not consider that these subjects would be for one kind of mind and not for another, as he suggests in his new educational programme?
My job is to keep a balance in education and not to go totally to one side or the other. We are doing our best to develop science teaching and other aspects of science in the country.
32.
asked the Minister for Education whether singing is a compulsory subject for boys entering training colleges, except in the case of those with exceptional training.
A test in singing is an obligatory part of the examination for all boys seeking admission to a training college. The examination regulations provide, however, that a boy who obtains a total of 2,000 or more marks in the specified subjects of his Leaving Certificate examination may be admitted to a training college, even though he does not reach the pass standard in singing.
Might I ask whether any boy who does not reach this exceptional standard could be excluded from the test in singing?
That is in the answer.
The Minister has said that a person of exceptional standard is exempted from the requirement to pass the singing test, but is the person in ordinary circumstances always bound to take the test?
A person with more than 2,000 marks is exempted. Would the Deputy formulate the question again? I do not quite follow him.
Is there a type of person who might want to enter the training college but who could not get over the 2,000 mark level and who still might be excluded from the singing test?
I have said that a boy who obtains 2,000 or more marks in the Leaving Certificate may be admitted, even though he does not reach the pass standard in singing.
Suppose he is tone deaf?
The recruitment of teachers is not a social service. It is aimed at having children taught and I will continue to insist that singing be taught in all our schools. There is such a limited range of cultural activities in our schools already that we do not wish to limit it further.
If a man cannot sing, how in the name of goodness can he teach singing?
Let him take up a job as a bricklayer—
The Taoiseach suggests he take up a job as a bricklayer.
I was suggesting at random an alternative job he might take up.
Is it an essential element of culture that we all must sing? I wonder how many Deputies in the House at the moment can sing, how many of the Deputies here were taught to sing as part of their school curriculum. I was not taught to sing. Was the Taoiseach taught to sing?
What the Minister has said is that if you cannot sing, you cannot teach singing.
The range of cultural pursuits in primary schools is so limited that to limit it still further would be a very foolish step to take. We can get plenty of highly intelligent students who can sing without having to select tone deaf students.
Was the Minister himself in his primary school days taught to sing?
Yes.
I suspect the Taoiseach was not.
Several attempts were made.
I was put out of the choir because I could not sing.
We cannot discuss singing here all the evening.