Mr. John Curtis:

It is across the country. I imagine in the context of some of the negative feedback we have had from student groups on this I would be surprised if there was a difference between denominational or non-denominational schools. We live in a dialectic age and one cannot sterilise information. If one is talking to teenagers, of course all facts must be presented to them. Obviously, in our Catholic schools we want to have some moral framework or compass to help guide our children through the challenges they have, and I return to the consent and relationships. Perhaps we have not spoken enough on issues such as relationships and have taken our eye off the ball. Currently, the big issue we are confronted with arises from the digital age and what information is out there for children. The huge issue in RSE and all it entails is what is age-appropriate. When it was first constituted, one thing RSE looked at very closely was the age-appropriateness of information. The goalposts have changed immeasurably on this and we need to re-examine it.

I am dealing with a broad range of questions here. We are absolutely committed to a review of the process and aware that all information must be given to children and students in schools. We are very committed that, as Catholic schools, we try to provide a moral framework, and must be cognisant of parents' views on the subject. As someone who is not long out of working in a school, and being a practising principal, I know that parents are very vocal in schools and have a very strong voice. Perhaps, through this process, their voice will be louder. We need to engage. The Chair issued a press release around today's proceedings which noted that this is not an issue that should be left to schools. Schools are not a panacea for all society's ills. There ought to be an awareness-raising exercise on this. In discussion such as this, we may disagree on some aspects but I think we all want to educate our children on the difficulties out there, the difficulties around relationships and those that they face in the digital age. As an educator, we are somewhat like rabbits caught in the headlights because of the speed of change. I do not think that we have caught up sufficiently. We will engage in any process that the Minister puts in place on RSE and we are fully committed to that. Obviously, we have a Catholic perspective but we have always been strong on the private public partnership and what that entails for our schools. We have always worked very closely with the Department to ensure the delivery of what it determines in the curriculum and will continue to do so.

There is an issue of resources and training for teachers. A principal might not have people jumping up and down to teach RSE classes. It can be difficult to get people to engage with it because of its complexities; it is not a simple subject for teachers to go into. We need to upskill teachers and encourage them. We should look at the positives of what is involved and of relationships and why we need to talk about these things. Work must be done on teacher training and the Department can help by providing resources. Perhaps a diploma programme could be established to give people the confidence to engage in these very complex issues. I would reiterate a point which is fundamental, namely that children must be given all information. We have to discuss matters such as contraception and those related to LGBT. We are all aware of that and do it as best as we can but we must be cognisant that schools have their ethos. As Catholic schools, we have a strong belief in providing a framework to equip children for challenges they face now and in the future. It must be done in a dialectic way involving communication. There will be disagreement and we will be challenged. We are dealing with teenagers, it is their job to challenge us, give out and criticise. That is what happens in schools. We cannot go into schools, not deal with things, and expect our students and parents to be happy with that. That does not happen.