Seán Ryan (Dublin North, Labour)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to recent comments by the chief executive of Educate Together that young male suicide and high levels of young men's alienation from society should be addressed in the second level school system; his plans to introduce awareness of these issues into the education system in general; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9795/04]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The high rates of suicide by young males and issues relating to young men's alienation from society are matters of major concern to me, particularly as many of the young men who have taken their own lives were still in the education system.

Within the curriculum, social, personal and health education provides for the development of personal and social skills including self-awareness, respect for others, self-esteem and communication skills which are important in addressing these issues. SPHE is now a compulsory subject both at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools.

Civic, social and political education, which is also a compulsory subject for junior cycle students, aims to prepare students for active participatory citizenship, achieved through the exploration of the civic, social and political dimensions of their lives. Through focusing on concepts, attitudes and values central to citizenship, the programme aims to develop the moral and critical faculties of the student. A desired learning outcome of such a programme is that the student should consider himself or herself as a valued citizen who has much to contribute to society and to the community within which he or she lives.

For senior cycle students, I am aware that the developers of the exploring masculinities programme consulted with experts in the area of suicide and followed the advice given on how best to deal with the issue in an educational setting. Many of the topics dealt with in the programme were designed to assist young males to become more open when experiencing personal problems and to seek professional help. The materials contained in the exploring masculinities programme are described in the recently published review of the programme by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment as "excellent, relevant, practical" and as "a well-researched set of curriculum resources suitable for both transition year and senior cycle". I believe, therefore, that the use of the exploring masculinities materials by schools as part of an SPHE programme for transition year, and throughout senior cycle, can greatly assist the schools in dealing with the many sensitive issues that young people, and young males in particular, may not have the opportunity to deal with otherwise.

The NCCA is currently preparing a curriculum in social, personal and health education for the senior cycle of post-primary education. Many of the topics included in exploring masculinities will be developed further and included in the curriculum. In the meantime, as recommended in the NCCA's report of their review, the exploring masculinities materials will continue to be available to schools on an optional basis.