Sir, - I find this hysterical debate about the place of history in the junior cycle quite baffling. Many of your correspondents, including the Minister for Education and the History Teachers' Association of Ireland keep insisting that history was compulsory in secondary schools but not in vocational schools.
went to an excellent class A secondary school in the 1950s, St Louis Convent, Monaghan. I, and two companions, studied history and geography in first year and then opted to take music instead for Intermediate and Leaving Certificate. I have two very good intermediate Certificates to prove it. (We sat this examination twice, in second and in third year.) Have we been wrong all these years? Did our revered headmistress not know the rules? Did the Department make a mistake in issuing us with certificates? Should we go back and do it all over again. if history and were not compulsory at that stage when did they become compulsory? To the best of my knowledge we paved the way for other students to take the same option. - Yours etc.,
Woburn Avenue,
Melbourn,
Bishopstown,
Cork.