Should Money Management Replace Religion as Subject in School

+1 for replacing Religion and Irish with more useful subjects.

Let's face it, with the exception of a few Gaeltacht areas, it's a dead language and has been for years/decades. I'm not by any means saying it should be stamped out, but the time wasted in schools teaching it could be put to much better use and give kids an advantage (or at least a chance!) in an increasingly multi-cultural, multi-lingual soceity.

For example: I spent some time in Holland as a kid in the 80s, and most of the kids in my primary school spoke a minimum of 3 languages - namely Dutch, English and whatever their native language was. Contrast this with an Irish Primary school where (unless things have changed dramatically), most children don't even get the option of learning another European language till they hit secondary school.

It's also increasingly unfair to expect children to have to sit through 5 hours a week of learning a language that their parents only have a vague recollection of.

Equally, Religion has no place in our schools either. Leaving aside the morality debate on instilling the teachings of an organisation that has been racked by scandal after scandal, it's also increasingly inappropriate given the larger numbers of non-national students in our school system.

Both of these subjects should be taught in the home, or at summer school camps etc - that way those who feel it is of some value to them can pursue it, but it frees up time badly needed for more useful, practical subjects in schools.