As outlined in Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, civic, social and political education, CSPE, is part of the core curriculum for the junior cycle. The civic, social and political education syllabus states that the course should be allocated one class period per week, or equivalent, so as to allow for a course of approximately 70 hours over the three years of the junior cycle. In practice, this has been interpreted as allowing schools flexibility in how they allocate teaching time over the three years. One cannot conclude that where civic, social and political education is not included on a school timetable for a particular year, that school is failing to meet its obligations to provide the subject as part of its junior cycle programme.
All recognised post-primary schools operating a junior cycle programme indicated in the October returns for 1999-2000 that they were teaching CSPE. My Department checks returns from schools to ensure that all recognised junior pupils are studying civic, social and political education and, where this requirement appears not to have been met, the matter is followed up, as appropriate, with the school.
Candidates from the vast majority of post primary schools sat the junior certificate examination in civic, social and political education last June. It is important to remember that the obligation on schools in regard to civic, social and political education relates to the provision of that subject in junior cycle and that students are not obliged to sit the junior certificate examination, even though the vast majority of them did.