All children in Cork are set to benefit from learning History as it is to be given special status as a core Junior Cert subject, Cork North West Fine Gael General Election candidate Councillor John Paul O’Shea has said.
Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh has decided that History should be given a new special core status in the Framework for Junior Cycle. The decision means History will no longer be an optional subject and every child will study the subject.
History became optional in all schools in September 2018, as part of the rollout of the Junior Cycle Framework. Up until then History was mandatory in about half of post-primary schools, although around nine out of ten students took the subject.
Speaking after the announcement Cllr. O’Sheasaid: “I am very pleased that my Fine Gael colleague, Minister Joe McHugh, decided to give History special status as a core Junior Cert subject.
“He took the decision after careful consideration of a review of the optional status of History under the new Framework for Junior Cycle which was carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).
“Minister McHugh will now request the NCCA’s support in devising a new structure for the Junior Cycle Framework which gives History a special core status. The exact nature of what students will learn, and how, will be decided in that process.
“Studying history at some point in your education cycle is so important. They say that understanding our past helps us to understand our present. I want to see young people in Cork as best prepared for their futures as they can be, with a fully rounded education behind them. I see History as a school subject being a crucial part of that.
“It was also really positive to hear that the Minister has requested the development of a Young Historians’ Competition at primary and post-primary level. This could be a great opportunity for students in Corkto further develop their love of history in a fun and innovative way.”
