Education Minister cannot rely on NCCA to deliver objective sex education – the law must change

Education minister repeats pledge to change law if necessary to ensure inclusive sex education

In the Dail yesterday Donnchadh O’Laoghaire from Sinn Fein asked the Minister for Education about sex education in schools. The Catholic Bishops have introduced a course called Flourish to primary schools. Flourish is Catholic sex education, and the programme is to be taught alongside curriculum Relationship and Sexuality education.
Here is the Dail exchange between Deputy Ó Laoghaire and the Minister. You can read Atheist Ireland’s assessment of the Minister’s response here. We explain why the Education Minister cannot rely on NCCA to deliver objective sex education, and why the law must change to prevent religious ethos from influencing the delivery of sex education.

65. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education her views on the current position that the religious ethos of a school can impact the relationships and sexuality education, RSE, curriculum being taught in that school; and the legislative changes she will make to ensure the RSE programme is uniform, age appropriate and fully inclusive across all schools. [25043/21]

RSE is vitally important. It is also vitally important that we get it right, because if we do not then we risk our children growing into adults who potentially have a feeling of being othered, a disfigured or unhealthy understanding of sexuality and a feeling of exclusion and discomfort within the educational setting. The Minister will be aware that there is a significant amount of concern about some of the programmes that are being provided in schools at present.

Access to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, personal and health education, SPHE, is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary and post-primary schools. Relationships and sexuality education is required at all levels, from primary through to senior cycle. The Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE syllabuses and guidelines.
All schools are required to have an RSE policy that is developed through engagement and in consultation and collaboration with the school community, including school management, parents, teachers and students, as appropriate. The school’s programme for RSE is developed and taught in the context of the school’s RSE policy.
Schools are required to teach all aspects of the RSE programme, including family planning, sexually transmitted infections and sexual orientation. It is important to note that the ethos of the school should never preclude learners from acquiring the knowledge about the issues, but ethos may influence how that content is treated.
The programme for Government states that the Government will develop inclusive and age-appropriate curricula for relationships and sexuality education, RSE, and social, personal and health education, SPHE, across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+, and will make appropriate legislative changes, if necessary. The Department of Education is working closely with the National Council for Curriculum and assessment, NCCA, which continues the process of curricular development and publishing additional resources for SPHE and RSE to determine the approach to best give effect to this commitment in the programme for Government. This will include legislative change, if necessary.
The report on the review of relationships and sexuality education – the RSE programme – in primary and post-primary schools was published by the NCCA in December 2019. As part of the review of RSE, an extensive consultation occurred. Feedback was facilitated through an online survey, written submissions, round-table meetings and large events. Adjustments were made to the final report to reflect a stronger focus on issues that stakeholders wished to see highlighted. The NCCA is developing updated guidance materials for schools. It has established two development groups, which are currently working on the specifications, with a particular focus on the updating of the syllabus at junior cycle level.

Sinn Féin supports changes in law to ensure that inclusive sex education is delivered uniformly

Sinn Féin supports changes in the law to ensure that inclusive sex education is delivered uniformly across all schools regardless of the religious ethos of the patron. The party has told Atheist Ireland that:

“Sinn Féin share your view that, legislative reform of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools is long overdue. We know that there are significant variations in the content and scope of RSE across schools, more often than not depending on the school’s ethos.
No child should feel that their identity, their sexual orientation or their family circumstance is lesser, because they are not included in the sexual education programme as prescribed by their school, the ethos of that school or by their teacher. Legislative reform is the only way to ensure that a uniform, comprehensive and inclusive sexual education is undertaken in all schools.
The NCCA are in the process of preparing a new RSE syllabus. We hope that this will improve the quality of sexual education available here. However, we acknowledge that this will not address the fact that religious organisations will still have a significant input in the sexual education programme in many schools.
For too long now, the characteristic spirit clause in the Education Act 1998 has meant that ethos-based schools are free to leave out certain aspects of the curriculum where they believe these do not match the ‘characteristic spirit’ of the school. Due in large part to this outdated legislation, schools are able to pick and choose parts of the curriculum to deliver to their students, meaning many key areas are often being skimmed over or left out entirely.
Young people want to be fully informed and want to know how to be safe in any relationships they have or may have. We must trust young people enough to properly equip them with the skills necessary to feel confident discussing these matters. School is where this process must begin, and we fully support legislative reform to ensure that RSE in all schools is uniform, comprehensive and inclusive for all.”

Solidarity and People Before Profit TDs say Objective Sex Education Bill must be passed

Solidarity and People Before Profit TDs say the Oireachtas should pass their Objective Sex Education Bill, to ensure that school ethos cannot influence the delivery of sex education by the Catholic Bishops in their role as patrons of most of our schools.
Paul Murphy TD introduced the Bill in 2018. It passed the second stage in the Dail, but was then blocked by the government using a procedural mechanism called a Money message.
Its relevance has been emphasised by the recent publication of Flourish, the new sex education programme by the Catholic Bishops that is based on the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Paul Murphy TD says:

“The bottom line point is that all students, regardless of what type of school are in, deserve and are entitled to objective sex education. We need complete separation of church and state, which means that no schools would be under any church control.
However, given that church control is unfortunately a reality now, we need to act to ensure that students in all schools get objective sex education. It is not enough to come up with a progressive curriculum, because a school can simply refuse to deliver it under the guise of it going against the ‘religious ethos’ of the school.
That is why the central point of the Objective Sex Education Bill is to amend the Education Act 1998 to remove the barrier of religious ethos.”

“The recent publication of the Catholic church’s RSE programme called ‘Flourish’ for primary schools which sex and puberty as ‘gifts from God’, that ‘sexual love belongs within a committed relationship’, and hails marriage as a ‘sacrament of commitment’ dramatically highlights the urgent need to pass the Objective Sex Education Bill.
This RSE programme teaches the primacy of heterosexual marriage and will leave LGBTQ students, and students with LGBTQ parents and family members feeling marginalised a devalued. This is a harmful in the development of young people.
All children and young people in our education system a right to RSE that is free from religious teachings. It would not be acceptable to teach maths, science, or languages mixed with religious teachings, it should not be acceptable with RSE.
The government is currently using a technical measure – a money message – to block the Provision of Objective Sex Education Bill from progressing through the Dáil. This is unacceptable and we would urge people to demand of their local government TDs to stop blocking this Bill.”

Thomas Pringle TD calls for inclusive sex education not the Catholic Flourish course

Independent TD Thomas Pringle has called for age appropriate, inclusive, and diverse relationship and sex education in Irish schools. He says:

“Get your rosaries off our ovaries.” How long has this slogan been around Ireland?  From hospitals to schools and everywhere in between we have the evidence of the Catholic Church dictating access to information on sexual and reproductive healthcare and also blocking that access.  The disentanglement of the Church and State must happen sooner rather than later.
With the great strides we have taken as a country for inclusion of our LGBTQI+ friends and family, why would we allow children to be made feel ‘wrong’ in school?  There should be age appropriate, inclusive, and diverse relationship and sex education.
I agree with the recommendation of the Citizens Assembly on the Eighth Amendment and those of the Joint Committee on the Eighth amendment for the need for improvements in this area in primary and post-primary schools.  I also agree with the issues highlighted in October 2020 by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the 2017 recommendation of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
We have been talking about this for years and now that the Flourish RSE course has been published by the Catholic Bishops we cannot stand by and allow out-of-date heteronormative relationship and sexuality schools to take precedence in schools.  We also have to ensure that teachers who refuse to follow the catholic ethos in schools do not face disciplinary procedures.  We need to stand together, against the Church.”

Labour wants Citizens’ Assembly to resolve school ethos and sex education, says Ivana Bacik

“There is a commitment in the Programme for Government for a Citizens Assembly on the Future of Education. While there is a large number of issues that such an assembly would address, the dominant role of the Catholic Church as a school patron was highlighted once again recently with the publication of their new sex education programme Flourish.
The sex education programme of the Catholic Church should not be the dominant RSE programme taught in our state funded primary education system. Addressing this though requires a root and branch look at our education system.
It is simply no longer acceptable for religion to influence what should be a fact based RSE programme in our schools.
It’s time for a national conversation about how we achieve a modern, secular and equality-based education system for the Ireland of today, and what we hope to achieve for tomorrow.
Ireland is different now compared to when our constitution was written, when the role of religion in our education system was enshrined through Articles 42 and 44. Religion should not be the overarching principle that underpins our education system, nor should it be the way by which children are segregated at a young age.
Instead of a public education system, we have a State funded education system which farms out responsibility for the running of schools to patron bodies.
The legislative and policy changes introduced to date on how we hire teachers, allow schools enrol pupils, and how patronage is awarded and divested, are limited by our basic law. To fundamentally change our education system, the Constitution must change, and that should start with a meaningful and considered analysis, discussion and debate through a Citizens’ Assembly.”

President Higgins says religious oath for President should go

The Irish Constitution requires the President to take a religious oath in order to take office.In a recent interview with BBC Radio Ulster the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins said that, in a new Ireland, “one should just affirm” (that is, make a secular affirmation instead of a religious oath).
But if you should be able to affirm to take office in a new Ireland, you should also be able to affirm in the present Ireland. The obligatory religious oath is either right or wrong in either situation.
This is the first time that an Irish President has supported the removal of the Constitutional requirement for Presidents to take a religious oath in order to take office.
This obligatory oath undermines the right to freedom of religion and belief. It is religious discrimination and bars conscientious atheists from taking high office in Ireland.
William Crawley from BBC Talkback show interviewed President Higgins last week. You can find the full interview here.
Here is the segment on religious oaths.

William Crawley
“People can believe what they like but when you became President of Ireland you had to take an oath in the name of the trinity.”
President Higgins
Yes
William Crawley
Do you think in a new Ireland that’s a problem.
President Higgins
Yes, I think that one should just affirm, I agree with you, that’s one of the changes. There are many many changes.
William Crawley
That should go?
President Higgins
Yes, I do.
William Crawley
How do you expect a Muslim for example, who might be president of Ireland, couldn’t take the oath right.
President Higgins
Well, then again as well as that I would also think that if a member of the royal family in Britain wanted to become a catholic they shouldn’t interfere with their vocational aspirations either.”

Write to your child’s school to object to the new Catholic sex education course

The Catholic Bishops have published a new sex education course called Flourish for primary schools.
Flourish can be taught alongside curriculum Relationship and sexuality education in schools with a Catholic ethos. The vast majority of schools in Ireland are controlled by the Catholic Church. Your school may decide to ignore their legal obligation to uphold the catholic ethos of the school but we have already been informed that some schools intend to introduce it.
You can read about Flourish here.
If you object to the introduction of Flourish in your child’s school the following is a draft letter that you can send to the Board of Management of your school. You can send it as a parent/guardian or as a group of parents.
This draft letter was sent to us by parents, and you can use it to object to the introduction of Flourish in your child’s school.
Draft Letter for schools
I/We are writing to you to draw your attention to the recent publication of the Flourish Programme. This is the new Catholic ethos Relationships and Sexuality Programme proposed by the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association and created by the Council for Catechetics of the Irish Bishops Conference.
As (a) parents of primary aged school children I/we do not feel the Flourish programme is fit for purpose when teaching RSE to children. It is discriminatory to LGBTQ+ children and families and it does not correspond with state policy.
What is taught to all children in Ireland especially in regards to sexual education should be fact based and what all the children hear should be free from influence of a religious ethos.

“Do we really want LGBTQ+ children in schools, who may be struggling with their sexual orientation to be taught that their relationships are in any way less were they, meaningful, loving, or deserving of respect than their heterosexual peers, because that is the influence of this program,” (From Roisin Shortall’s statement in Leader’s question on April 29, 2021.)

“Sex education needs to be fact based, and facts do not have an ethos.”