Consent and pornography to be part of revamped sex education in junior cycle

Education Minister Norma Foley said she hoped that this draft would address that need and encourage students to “call out” inappropriate behaviour when they saw it.

Minister for Education Norma Foley has described a proposed revamp of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) for the Junior Cycle as “a step in the right direction” and as the catalyst to empowering students to cope with life in the 21st century.

Ms Foley said that the current syllabus was 20 years old and children now live in a different world.

A draft review of RSE will be published today as part of the consultative process.

It will cover consent, gender stereotyping, wellbeing, relationships, online pornography and the sharing of sexual images.

When asked how pornography would be addressed in the draft, Ms Foley said a key feature is the safe use of the internet and the potential impact on relationships of the sharing of sexual images online.

Students need to be aware of the importance of sharing personal information, the risks and consequences of sharing images online.

It is important that students be given the tools to help them cope with “this complex world”, Ms Foley added.

All issues covered by the revised RSE syllabus will be covered in a safe environment to ensure that students are given the skills to cope with all aspects of real life.

The recent Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence had highlighted the importance of education and Ms Foley said she hopes that this draft will address that need and encourage students to “call out” inappropriate behaviour when they saw it.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Ms Foley “fully acknowledged” that more work needs to be done in the area of gender identity.

Review and consultation

She said that students need to feel included and safe and the RSE programme has a role to play to provide a voice for students.

The review and consultation is an opportunity for all to become involved.

This is an invitation to all to express views and experiences, said Ms Foley.

In April 2018, Richard Bruton, then Minister for Education, asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a major review of RSE in primary and post-primary schools.

This was the first review of the curriculum since it was introduced in the 1990s.

The NCCA previously conducted a major review of RSE in schools across all stages of education to ensure that it is fit for purpose and meets the needs of young people in modern Ireland.

The draft curriculum for SPHE, which includes RSE, for Junior Cycle has now been published for consultation on the NCCA’s website.

The consultation process opens this Monday, July 18 for a three-month period. It is open to anyone to make a submission.

According to the Department of Education, when schools return in September the NCCA will on engagement with school communities, with the consultation continuing until the middle of October.

The NCCA published the report of its review in December 2019, and established two subject development groups, one for primary and one for post-primary.