The draft of the new national primary school curriculum has removed reference to the aim of “developing a sense of Irish identity” which is contained in the current primary level curriculum introduced in 1999 and signed off by then Minister for Education Micheál Martin.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is running a public consultation on the new draft curriculum which ends on Tuesday the 18th of June at 5pm which it called the most significant primary consultation in 25 years.”
Minister for Education Norma Foley said that she encourages “all educators, parents, and stakeholders to contribute to this consultation on the latest stage of primary curriculum change.”
NCCA Chief Executive Arlene Forester said that the consultation “marks another important step in redeveloping the primary curriculum” and that she encourages “everyone to take this opportunity to get involved to help ensure that the curriculum continues to play its role in supporting great teaching and learning” in “the years ahead”.
Religious education in the 1999 curriculum was premised with, “The spiritual dimension is a fundamental aspect of individual experience, and its religious and cultural expression is an inextricable part of Irish culture and history. Religious education specifically enables the child to develop spiritual and moral values and to come to a knowledge of God.”
In contrast the new draft on Social and Environmental Education does not contain the words “God” or “Irish culture”.
The draft of Geography for third and fourth class emphasises allowing children to cultivate a sense of “sense of identity as global citizens” instructing them to, “Compare and contrast aspects of children’s lives in Ireland with children’s lives in other regional, national, European, and global contexts,”.
The draft of the new curriculum places emphasis on “an understanding of the diverse experiences, cultures, traditions, values, religions, beliefs, worldviews, and environments across different times and places” in the section on Social and Environmental Education.
It says this “helps children to discover and explore their own and others’ heritage” while deepening “children’s understanding and awareness of human culture and identity through learning about other people and their beliefs, worldviews, cultures, systems, identities, and traditions in different times, places, and circumstances.”
The section on Integrated learning for fifth and sixth class says that students, “Examine different cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions and develop an understanding of how diverse religions, beliefs and worldviews have contributed to and influenced communities, culture, and heritage over time.”
The NCCA says that it “welcomes all feedback on the draft curriculum specifications” and that feedback is being gathered through Focus Group Events “through online and in-person focus groups will be conducted from March to May 2024 for teachers, school leaders and parents.”
Questionnaires with two online questionnaires, one for education professionals and one for parents which it says should take no more than ten minutes to complete.
Written submissions are also being accepted from individuals, groups and organisations.