THE Minister for Education has been criticised at the ASTI conference for "tampering" with history as a post primary school subject.
Ms Breathnach's proposals to remove history from the list of core subjects at Junior Certificate level would deprive young people of their heritage, the conference was told.
Ms Breathnach says the decision not to include history as a core subject is necessary because of the increasing pressure on the school timetable, with more than 20 subjects now available at junior cycle.
However, the proposal has been attacked by historians such as John A. Murphy and Conor Cruise O'Brien. One history teacher claimed last week the decision was ideologically motivated while teaching history breeds republicans, he said, teaching environmental and social science creates good Labour Party members.
At the ASTI conference in Killarney, the move was deplored by successive speakers. Delegates overwhelmingly adopted a motion urging the Minister to retain the traditional role of history and geography as core subjects in the Junior Cert.
Mr John O'Sullivan, Dublin South, accused Ms Breathnach of being the first Minister for Education in the State's history to consider such a move.
It was something of considerable concern to the wider community, he said. History as a subject had helped successive generations to reach a deeper understanding of their identity and their identity as citizens of Europe. "We in Ireland are now threatening to abandon our history, as taught as a core subject in schools, while our European neighbours are promoting theirs."
He warned that to abandon history at junior level would likely in a significant fall off in subject in the Leaving Cert.
Mr Frank Houlihan, Dun Laoghaire, said since the State's foundation no Minister had ever tampered with history as a subject.
"At one stroke of a pen, history has died," he said.
Mr Larry McGuinness, Fingal, said large cohorts of students now might go through school without ever studying their heritage.
"This is nothing short of a national disgrace. Our Minister is conspiring to downgrade history. What, one might ask, is she afraid of?"