Ten years of Leaving Cert politics and society: ‘Taking turns rowing the lifeboat’
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
TLDR
- Politics and Society, a subject introduced in Irish secondary schools in 2016, is celebrating its 10th year, with student participation growing significantly.
- The subject encourages structured disagreement and critical questioning, combining a written exam with a citizenship project where students research and take action on social or political issues.
- Teachers involved in the subject's pilot phase described the experience as challenging but rewarding, fostering a strong sense of community among educators.
As Ireland's Leaving Certificate Politics and Society subject marks its tenth year, it stands as a testament to the nation's commitment to fostering active and informed citizenship among its youth. This unique curriculum, which moved beyond rote learning to embrace critical thinking and structured debate from its inception, has seen remarkable growth since its phased introduction in 2016.
In many classrooms of the past, challenging a teacher’s viewpoint might have risked landing you in detention, or worse. However, in Leaving Certificate politics and society classrooms, structured disagreement and critical questioning are central to the learning environment.
What began as a pilot in 41 secondary schools has blossomed into a vital component of the Irish education system, with student numbers soaring from 867 in 2018 to over 3,000 in 2025. This surge in participation underscores the subject's relevance and appeal, offering students a comprehensive understanding of social and political sciences, human rights, development studies, and global inequality. The emphasis on practical application through citizenship projects, where students engage directly with societal issues, truly prepares them for meaningful participation in a democratic society.
We call it politics, but actually, sociology has a huge space in it. There’s also human rights law, there’s development studies, postcolonial development, global inequality. There’s climate action and sustainable development. There’s media studies, there’s political philosophy.
The journey of Politics and Society has not been without its challenges. Teachers involved in the initial rollout described the pilot period as an "extraordinarily stressful endeavor," likening it to "taking turns rowing the lifeboat." Yet, this shared struggle forged a strong community among educators, who supported each other in navigating the complexities of teaching a new and dynamic subject. The success of initiatives like the Pol-Soc Podcast and dedicated resource websites further illustrates the collaborative spirit and dedication that have defined the subject's first decade, promising a bright future for civic education in Ireland.
It’s all well and good to have all this great thinking, but at the end of the day, we still have to sit the exam, and they’ve kind of put the cart before the horse. This idea of just thinking it out and unpacking things is all well and good, but at the end you have to write a paper.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Irish Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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