Geography must stay on curriculum
Sir — As heads of geography departments at Irish thirdlevel institutions, we wish to express our deep concern at the demotion of geography from being a core subject at Junior Cert Level. This will have a detrimental impact on our young people and on the country.
Geography is the only discipline which combines the study of both the natural and social worlds, and their interaction, and is key to solving global problems such as climate change and poverty, in addition to examining and proposing solutions to pressing national issues such as the current housing crisis.
At a time when the skills of geographers are being recognised as essential to successful decision-making processes, it is vital that all secondary school students in Ireland have a geographic training so they can become active in tackling national and global issues.
We live in a world increasingly defined by these “wicked problems” with multiple causes and interactions. The next generation of Irish decision-makers need to be equipped with the practical and analytical skills to address them — this starts in primary and secondary schools.
Geographers in Ireland make vital contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are central to rural diversification innovations, lead the field in marine spatial planning, have an ever-growing role in optimising terrestrial planning and are increasingly being sought as experts on a myriad of emerging global issues, such as microplastics, forced migration, globalisation and sustainable consumption.
These are just some of many examples where geographers in Ireland are having global impact. The undermining of the importance of geography in the curriculum may compromise this in the future. Geography plays an essential role in the evolution of societies, their ideas, places and environments and this training is vital for Irish students in an ever-changing Europe. It is vital that geography be reinstated as a core subject on the Junior Certificate curriculum. Dr Padraig Carmody, Trinity College Dublin
Prof Jacky Croke, University College Dublin Dr Kieran Hickey, University College Cork Prof Gerry Kearns, Maynooth University Dr Kevin Lynch, National University of Ireland, Galway Prof Des McCafferty, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick