Reader's Blog: Oireachtas abandoning teaching of politics

As a teacher of civic, social and political education (CSPE) I am experiencing the abandonment by two of the houses of the Oireachtas of state certification of political education at junior certificate level. The only subject to completely lose state certification in the Junior Cert reform debacle through an examination is CSPE (Politics).

There was much political waffle and tricolour flag commemoration in 2016 coupled with reading of the 1916 proclamation. During this period, the State on the southern side of the border, which owes its creation to this event, was overtly divorcing CSPE from all other subjects at Junior Cert level, by refusing to give the subject state certification.