‘Sinister’ campaign on sex education reforms
Minister furious over ‘disinformation in letters and on Facebook’
EDUCATION Minister Joe McHugh has rounded on a ‘sinister’ campaign of disinformation by ultra-conservative groups about proposals by his Department to reform the sex education curriculum in primary and secondary schools.
The campaign, which started in the Minister’s Donegal constituency, has led to hundreds of parents sending letters to the Department of Education and it is claimed some teachers have sent the claims home in children’s school bags.
The letters and Facebook posts claim Minister McHugh is supporting a recommendation where children between the ages of zero and four would be exposed to and taught explicit sexual information.
So far, at least four Fine Gael TDs including one Minister, have contacted the Education Minister about the issues being raised.
But in a sharp riposte to the various groups Mr McHugh said: ‘Some of the claims being made about our intentions are not only wildly inaccurate; they are downright sinister and dangerous.’
The furious Minister said: ‘One of the worst things was a reference to what children under the age of four would be told.
‘It is a deeply disturbing attempt to frighten decent people. It is totally unacceptable.’ One senior source within the Department said of the campaign: ‘It really is appalling stuff. Letters were being stuffed into children’s bags. There were no boundaries.’
It was, they added, ‘very much targeted on Joe’s constituency. False information was being circulated online in an orchestrated campaign of misinformation. It tried, unsuccessfully, to spread spurious claims about Joe, and about what young children will be taught in schools.’
They said: ‘The misinformation was a blatant attempt to discredit a professional, open and balanced review of relationships and sexuality education in our schools. Some of this curriculum has not been updated for more than 20 years.’
Mr McHugh also strongly defended the proposals, in response to a Dáil question by his Fine Gael ministerial colleague Brendan Griffin.
Responding to Mr Griffin the Minister said: ‘Access to relationship and sexuality education is an important right for students. Schools have a responsibility to provide for this, importantly, in consultation with parents and having regard to the ethos of the school.’
The National Council for Curriculum Assessment, he said, had ‘looked at developments in relation to contraception and at healthy, positive, sexual expression and relationships, safe use of the internet, social media and its effects on relationships and selfesteem, and LGBTQ+ matters.’
It was, he said ‘important to point out that no decisions have yet been made regarding changes to the RSE curriculum’.
‘Claims are downright sinister and dangerous’ ‘The priority is to educate our young people’
‘Any misinformation that is currently circulating as to what will be in the RSE curriculum is regrettable.’
The Minister said: ‘Whatever is decided as a result of the review, the need to teach RSE in an ageappropriate manner with sensitivity to the diversity of needs and readiness of students will continue to be of paramount importance.’
The Department is engaged in a major review of RSE in schools via the NCCA.
Currently a draft Report is in circulation after a consultation process that included 7,891 parental responses.
Mr McHugh told the MoS: ‘My only focus here is to try and ensure children are given information that is accurate and appropriate for their age and development.
‘The priority is to educate our young people about respect for each other and themselves. We want them to understand about what a healthy relationship is; what the principle of consent means. The least we should expect is that people would not peddle wildly inaccurate claims that something wholly inappropriate is going to be included in a curriculum for young children.
‘When finalised, the report will be provided to my Department, which is expected to be around the end of this year,’ he said. ‘There will then be further opportunity for public consultation.’