Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for the difficulties with the microphone. Just to follow up, we have heard much about STEM and I do not need to hear more about that now. We have begun to hear more around that question of the other subjects, such as humanities, and the fact that one of the citizens’ assemblies also talked about supporting boys and men into other subjects. Getting everyone into STEM, including women, and getting people into apprenticeships, including women, is not the same as actually addressing gender equality. Humanities are key for that. Not having CSPE as an exam subject sends a very early signal that those other parts of life - the civil, the social, the political engagement – things that we know women end up doing, are not given the same value if they are not given an exam status at junior certificate. I urge the Minister to revisit that. It is one of the most fundamental things.

School is not just a channel to a career. It is also where you model being in the world, and that is why we have to get it right. On that modelling being in the world, I raise the issue of equality. One thing that was pointed out is there are exemptions in the equality legislation for schools. That is one of the anomalies that we have in Irish society and it is because of the ethos-based exemptions. That could be part of looking at the question of whether there should be legislative change around ethos and the equality legislation. A very simple example is that schools can have these uniform rules, which are extremely difficult for young women, and they can do that because they do not have the same constraints under the equality legislation. We should be reforming and giving that space for equality pressures by reforming the kind of ethos-based exemptions on equality.

Lastly, the gender division of schools was highlighted very strongly. Is part of the reform and shift in our programme to move towards mixed schools and away from the very strong emphasis on gender segregation that we have now in Ireland?