Sir, - If, as the Minister for Education, Ms Bhreathnach, has proposed, history is removed from the list of core subjects for the Junior Certificate, wills the result not be educational impoverishment?
History is the story of the development of ideas, and of the manner in which human thought and behaviour have shaped societies. The study of history leads not just to the acquisition of knowledge, but to the ability to interpret, evaluate and understand. It gives a sense of identity of one's own place in the world, and also an awareness of the reasons behind the identity of other, very different, aspirations and cultures. If the purpose of education is to stretch the mind and encourage the ability to think, then surely history must be one of the most important subjects to be included in the core of any general educational curriculum.
I urge the Minister to reconsider her proposal. - Yours, etc.,
Rostrevor Road,
Dublin 6.