'Society would be better' with co-ed learning model, says minister

The number of single-sex schools at primary level has always been significantly lower, with rural schools tending to be mixed.

The higher education minister wants to see an end to single-sex schools, stating "society would be better" with a co-educational model of learning.

Raising concerns around increasing "aggression" and gender-based violence, Patrick O'Donovan stressed the importance of educational integration from a young age.

The 2022/2023 voluntary secondary school enrolment suggests that 33% of students attend all-girls schools, 26% attend all-boys schools, and 41% attend co-educational settings.

The number of single-sex schools at primary level has always been significantly lower, with rural schools tending to be mixed. There are around 228 all-boys or all-girls primary schools, compared to 2,900 that are mixed.

"If the first time that you come in contact with somebody from the opposite gender in your education journey is your first day in university at Freshers Week, that to me is absolutely crazy in 2024," Mr O'Donovan said.

I think we should be doing more around education integration, we should be encouraging it

"I definitely think that we should be offering incentives and encouragement for education integration," he added.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Irish Examiner, in which the Limerick TD also opened up about his serious health scare last year, Mr O'Donovan said having a system which segregates boys and girls is not serving children or society at large.

Mr O'Donovan also strongly indicated that he wants to see a cut to third-level fees in the upcoming budget, and will be pushing for additional funding to increase spaces in courses where there are workforce shortages — such as dentistry and veterinary.

Higher Education Minister Patrick O'Donovan wants to stress the importance of integration to foster equality. Picture: Sasko Lazrov

On top of this, he will be seeking further funding towards awareness and prevention of gender-based violence on third-level campuses.

"There is definitely far more aggression in this country," he said.

So much of it is happening and so much of his being broadcast to us, that sometimes the whole first section of the news is basically court reports of one set of violent incidents after another

"We haven't become accepting of it, but I think we have become more anaesthetised to it — which is dangerous from my point of view, because that can lend itself to this being something that is regarded by some, for whatever warped reason, as normal behavior, which of course is not."

Turning to the wider education system, he stressed the importance of integration to foster equality and respect.

"I think that from the time that you come into junior infants, even in preschool, the concept of young boys understanding that no means no is a really important thing."

Mr O'Donovan, who worked as a teacher before entering politics, added: "That's not to say that people who have shown disrespect to women have all come from single-sex schools. That would be a very simplistic way of doing it. Suggesting that everybody who has shown disrespect to a woman has come from a single-sex school, that's not what I'm saying.

"What I am saying is that I think there needs to be, at a much earlier stage, an integration around education to show that respect has to be something that is shown no matter what."