Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Before I comment on the Minister of State's response, which was in line with what I had expected, I might ask him a question in respect of his role in the Department of Justice. Where does he foresee the provision of RSE in the combating of gender-based violence? In the cross-departmental work being carried out by the Minister for Justice, the fourth pillar is education. Does the Minister of State foresee that being implemented through the RSE programme? I raised this issue yesterday with the Taoiseach, who replied that the key solutions related to the provision of continuing professional development, CPD, and the updating and modernisation of the curriculum, which I welcome, but there will be a massive oversight if we do not address the issue of ethos and the ability of patrons to dedicate what kind of RSE is taught within their school. That is where the issue lies. It is why there are programmes such as Flourish, why some teachers cannot express the manner in which they love and are fearful in the staff room, and why events keep taking place in which it is highlighted schools are not providing the appropriate level of RSE.

The issue that happened in a school in Wicklow, which was reported in the media this week, is the exact same as the issue highlighted by the NCCA in its report on the review of RSE in schools from 2019. The report states:

[In primary schools] school ethos was seen to pose challenges in opening up discussion about different kinds of families and same-sex relationships, or in responding to questions that arise about contraception in the context of learning about conception. Principals expressed this as a disconnect between what they felt was expected of them based on their school ethos and addressing the reality of the classroom and the needs of their pupils.

Summarising the issue in the report, a primary school principal was quoted as stating:

Ethos is used as an excuse (not to teach certain topics/areas). We have a pastoral Christian ethos and teach within that framework.

This will continue to happen if we do not balance the rights of children to access fact-based, health-led and inclusive RSE against the power of school ethos.

As I mentioned, the Social Democrats brought forward a Bill in November 2021 that aimed to do just this. The Bill, developed with the Oireachtas Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers will not affect ethos but balance it against the rights of the child in order that in the first teaching of RSE, it will be from a standardised curriculum that takes an “evidence-informed approach” based on UNESCO’s international technical guidance on sexuality education. The Bill was not opposed by the Government or the Minister but was delayed by nine months. It is essential she stick to her promise and allow that Bill to come back before the House.

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