Children & Youth Affairs Minister Frances Fitzgerald and Education Minister Ruairí Quinn today jointly launched the
Report of a Consultation with young people on reform of the Junior Cycle.
The report showed that the participants believed the Junior Cycle should be two years long, allowing for an extra year for the Senior Cycle; more and improved classes in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) were desirable; that Maths and English should be the only mandatory subjects and that more help with the transition to second level would be useful.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Fitzgerald said:
I am delighted to launch this report because I strongly believe in the importance of consulting with children and young people and enabling their participation in decision-making on issues that affect their lives.
She noted that 88 young people, aged 12-18, from Comhairle na nÓg around Ireland took part in the consultation on reform of the Junior Cycle.
The young people identified social skills and life skills as extremely important to their lives in Junior Cycle. They want more and improved classes in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE). In my role as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I have seen the growing need for more effective support for young people in developing and maintaining positive mental health and the important role that SPHE can play on those issues.
Also speaking at the launch, Minister Quinn said:
I believe that we all learn most effectively when we experience issues for ourselves, through investigation and research, project and practical work, and group discussion. These are skills for independent learning which will serve us well over a lifetime. It is this kind of active learning which we are trying to promote in the reform of the Junior Cycle.
You can view the presentation from three representatives of Dáil na nÓg below...
Minister Fitzgerald's speech can be viewed below...
The speech by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is below...
A question and answer session was held after the presentation and excerpts can be viewed below...
Read the full press release here.