School Textbooks

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 April 2014

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Ceisteanna (229)

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

Ceist:

229. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 141 of 11 March 2014, regarding decisions on the use of workbooks, in his answer on the use of textbooks, quotes what he calls, The Guidelines that accompany the Primary School Curriculum, 1999, which state that it should be noted that textbooks, of their very nature, cannot adequately cover local history studies and should therefore be regarded as only one source among many for the teaching of history; the resource that students will rely on for their learning of local history, bearing in mind that most history teachers are not natives of the places in which they teach; with this new emphasis on local history, if the cutback in other history teaching will be that of national or European history or will there be an increase in the hours spent teaching history; with the new emphasis on local history, his views that, for example, Roscommon or Sligo people would be less interested in Humbert’s arrival in Killala than Mayo people, or that Dublin people would have no interest in the Battle of the Boyne; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16657/14]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The Deputy should be aware that while the current Primary School Curriculum was introduced into schools in 1999, the inclusion of local history has been a feature of the history curriculum since 1971. The introduction to the Primary School Curriculum states that "The exploration of local history remains a central element of the curriculum at all levels, but as children mature they encounter a widening range of peoples, events and periods. These are drawn from local, national, European and non-European contexts and from diverse social, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds, so that children acquire a balanced understanding of local, Irish and international history." A range of useful resources for teachers for teaching local history is available in the Teacher Guidelines for teaching History.