| Sex education programme is almost
non-existent IRISH teenagers are being taught about sex and
relationships in a patchy and inconsistent way and some are not being
taught at all according to a report published last week.
The study which examines how second-level schools are dealing with the
subject area finds that boys attending single-sex schools are most likely
to be receiving little or no sex education.
It is 12 years since RSE or Relationships and Sexuality Education was
introduced as a subject in schools and the study commissioned by the Crisis
Pregnancy Agency is the first to look closely at how it is being taught.
The report finds a significant proportion of schools are not teaching
the subject at all. At junior cycle between 15 to 30 per cent of pupils
are getting no RSE.
At senior cycle close to half of schools have no programme at all. In
all cases boys’ single-sex schools fare worse.
These statistics sit uncomfortably with some of the report’s other
findings.
Junior Certificate students, for instance ‘emphatically’ want
to learn about condom use, sexually transmitted infections and sexual
orientation but students feel such issues are not comprehensively addressed.
The report blames an overcrowded curriculum that is too exam oriented.
It also blames teacher discomfort and a general lack of support for the
subject. It says boys’ schools and male teachers in particular need
to be encouraged to take on the issue. |
