A move that will be welcomed in many quarters.

All schools in Ireland will be required to offer history as a Junior Cycle subject from September, following an announcement made by Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh on Tuesday. McHugh also revealed that all students entering first year from this September will be required to study history as part of their curriculum. This comes following widespread fears that less students would study the subject, as history became optional in all schools as part of a new structure. There are a total of 21 subjects being offered under the new framework. Three of these - mathematics, English and Irish - are mandatory and require a minimum of 240 hours of learning. History has been added to the list and will require a minimum of 200 hours learning. The other 17 subjects remain optional, within the overall requirement to study up to a maximum of 10 subjects. McHugh said: "I am confirming the new core status for History for all students entering Junior Cycle from this September. "I believe that there is an obligation on leaders and older generations to ensure we provide the opportunity for the next generation to gain an understanding of our past – the good and the bad. "We need to afford young people the chance to learn from our chequered history and appreciate how knowledge of the past can shape the future."