O’Keeffe off course

THE Leaving Cert results of 2008 were greeted with calls from all concerned bodies for increased emphasis on science subjects in coming years in the interests of our future economic wellbeing.

The response of the Department of Education has been a mindless decision to abolish secondary schools’ allowances for physics and chemistry — necessitated, it said, by shortage of exchequer funds.

As if to rub salt in the wound, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe now justifies funding centres of excellence to improve primary teachers’ spoken Irish skills, along with support and training for Irish music and dancing.