Many of our young teachers were not even born when decimalisation took place in the early Seventies. The confusion at the time will be remembered only by older members of the profession. For the changeover to the euro, the Government wants to make sure that everyone is well informed, especially the young.
Hugh Boyle of the Euro Changeover Board of Ireland (ECBI) describes the task of educating the general public about the new currency: "Even with decimalisation you still retained the idea of the pound and some coins stayed the same. With the euro we're taking on something entirely different so it does require a more substantial amount of education."
Boyle, who is responsible for taking the campaign into the classrooms, says there are a number of reasons why teaching the young about the euro is important. "The euro will become a fact of life for young people," he says, "and they will need to know about it when they go into business and work. We also want to get through to young people because they're good at spreading the word among their parents, friends, brothers and sisters."
As part of the campaign, every teacher in Ireland should already have a copy of The Euro: Information for Teachers, a leaflet produced jointly by the ECBI and the Department of Education and Science. An Irish language edition has also been provided for gaelscoileanna and is available to other schools on request.
The leaflet sets out the basic facts about the euro such as the history of the single currency, the countries which are participating and the anticipated effects of the change.
Most importantly, the leaflet outlines the impact which the new currency will have on teaching. There will be a revised curriculum for both primary and second-level teachers with particular attention to maths.
The ECBI has a dedicated schools' section in its website - at http://www.irlgov.ie/ ecbi-euro - where teachers can find a euro quiz which pupils can complete on-line or on printouts. The site also contains an on-line version of the leaflet as well as guidelines on how primary teachers might begin preparing pupils for the euro. Schools without internet access are advised to get a print-out of the guidelines from a school which does.
The guidelines suggest approaching the subject using a framework based around the impact of the euro on pupils, their families and their country. They also propose methods of introducing the euro to classes on a subject by subject basis.
The ECBI will be focussing its efforts in schools this year through the website. "We are focusing on the website because the vast majority of schools have access and young people find it more interesting than other methods," says Boyle.
He admits that the schools' site is basic at the moment but says they intend to develop it much further. "We're talking to the National Centre for Technology and Education. It's early days yet, but the type of thing we have in mind would be along the lines of further interactive worksheets or something else displayed on the screen that a teacher could use."
The ECBI website also includes a calculator which can be used to demonstrate the value of the pound to the euro and vice versa. There is a link from there to a European Commission site which demonstrates the value of the euro relative to the rest of the participating currencies.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently reviewing all subjects in conjunction with the ECBI. It will be producing a binder with guidelines and suggestions for the inclusion of the euro in classes.
"Obviously some subjects will get more attention than others," says Boyle. "There's a lot of scope in subjects such as maths and economics and less in others."
These guidelines should be ready by April or May of this year and will be ready for the start of the next academic year.
The ECBI is also producing other educational material such as conversion charts and posters illustrating which countries are participating. They say they will be consulting the Department about distributing these in schools.
