POLITICS is to become a compulsory subject in the school curriculum, the Minister for Education has announced. Ms Breathnach was launching a new Junior Cert subject, Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) to be taught in all second level schools from autumn 1997.

CSPE replaces the study of civics, a non exam subject which was taught in some second level schools. The new programme aims to encourage "active participatory citizen ship" by students and deals with issues such as unemployment work, poverty, crime, homelessness, racism, xenophobia, and North/South, relations.

The four units of the course are the individual and citizenship the community the State Ireland and Ireland and the world. There are also links to the education for mutual understanding programme in Northern Ireland.