Duffy: Standardised relationships and sexuality education policy needed in schools

Sinn Féin Councillor, Sandra Duffy, has said there is a clear need for a modern and standardised approach to relationships and sexuality education policy in schools. 

Ms Duffy said: “Reform of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools is long overdue as schools are picking and choosing parts of the sexual education curriculum to deliver to their students.

“We need an RSE curriculum that is age appropriate, fact based and inclusive and delivered consistently across all schools. 

“We know that there are significant variations in the content and scope of RSE across schools. In many schools, the RSE programme is completely inadequate and is not meeting the needs of young people particularly for young people within the LGBTQI+ community.

''I agree with comments made by the Children's Commissioner who said that without a shared mandatory curriculum for Relationship and Sexuality Education in schools, we won’t be able to address the issue of violence against women and girls and other gender-based hostility. 

“The Department of Education has a duty to develop a transparent and standardised approach to RSE that meets the needs of our young people and provides clarity and reassurance to parents.”

Koulla Yiasouma, Ni Commissioner for children and young people, said educating boys and girls appropriately about healthy relationships is “one of the building blocks” to reducing violence against women and misogyny."

Ms Yiasouma added: “We know from surveys that young people are getting a lot of their information from social media.

“In what other area of their lives would we be comfortable to leave it to social media to educate our children? What young people are saying is that they want to hear about it from school.”

The Department of Education has been approached for a comment.