Half our schools fail to provide mandatory sex education classes
Concerns over the ‘slow progress’ in achieving the minimum number of lessons on relationships and sexuality
HALF of Ireland’s schools are failing to meet State requirements to provide second-level students with six relationship and sexual education (RSE) classes a year, the Minister has revealed.
The figures were supplied by Education Minister Norma Foley in response to queries by Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon.
Mr Gannon also asked about the figures from a previous survey, carried out in 2015.
Schools are required to teach RSE as an integral component of Junior Cycle SPHE up to Third Year and are also required to teach Senior Cycle RSE even in the absence of timetabled SPHE classes.
School policy determines the con
‘Teens live in a complex and uncertain world’
text of the RSE programme and delivery will involve a coordinated approach, including both core class periods and cross-curricular work.
Ms Foley revealed that an initial survey by the Department in 2015 showed that just over a quarter of respondent post-primary schools reported meeting the requirement of providing six RSE classes per year.
The survey also showed that 16% provided three to five classes per year, 41% provided one to two classes per year, while 5% provided none.
More recent data from 2018 indicated that just under half of respondent post-primary schools are meeting the requirement to provide six RSE classes per year. The latest figures also showed 14% providing three to five classes, 26% providing one to two classes per year and 4% provided none. Commenting on the figures, Mr Gannon said: ‘Teenagers are living in a complex, uncertain world. They need access to independent advice on the challenges they face in learning life skills.’
The Dublin TD also expressed concerns over slow progress in meeting minimum standards, saying: ‘We are hoping RSE does not fall off the education agenda.’
Responding, Ms Foley said that when it came to schools failing to meet the criteria, figures from as late as 2018 show a quarter of Ireland’s schools provided two classes or less, while one in seven schools provided between three to five classes. One in 25 schools (4%) provide no classes at all.
The figures represent an improvement on the stark figures in 2015 when only a quarter of the State’s schools were providing the requisite level of RSE classes, she argued.
The 2015 survey also revealed that two-fifths of schools were providing just one to two classes a year while one in 20 schools were not providing any classes at all.
Ms Foley said: ‘Access to Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) is an important right for students… schools have a responsibility to provide for this vital aspect of education to young people.’
The Education Minister added: ‘The Programme for Government states that this Government will develop inclusive and age-appropriate curricula for RSE and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary schools.’
She added that ‘work on the development of an updated curriculum and interim guidelines for RSE has been ongoing following the publication of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Report on the Review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in primary and post-primary Schools in December 2019.’
Mr Gannon said: ‘Our concern is that once again we are seeing things being honoured in the breach rather than the application.’
He added: ‘Coronavirus has diverted everyone’s attention but the Social Democrats will prioritise this next year.’
In what will be seen as a shot across the bows of the perceived conservatism of Ms Foley, a Government source warned: ‘In the age of #MeToo it is astonishing that more than half of schools that should be the building blocks of appropriate behaviour are not meeting a less-than-difficult challenge.’
They said it appeared to be a case of: ‘Even in the age of #MeToo it’s a case of “no sex education please, we’re Irish” for too many schools.’
‘Honoured in breach, rather than application’