Survey highlights need to overhaul sex education – Noone

Dublin Senator, Catherine Noone has called for the adoption of ancillary recommendations laid out in the Committee on the Eighth Amendment’s Report.

Senator Noone, Fine Gael candidate in the next General Election for Dublin Bay North, said: “A recent survey carried out in NUIG, showed the overwhelming majority of students were dissatisfied with the quality of the sex-ed they received and raised concerns over what constituted consent.

“The report that we published on the Eighth Amendment lays out a roadmap of how we should move forward in relation to these issues.

“School Ethos and religious leanings can negatively affect the quality of education given to students, important information can be omitted and issues not fully addressed.

“Moreover, some schools choose to outsource these lessons to agencies that do not require any teaching qualifications. This is a recipe for disaster.

Senator Noone added, “I believe that the issue of relationship and sexual education in Irish schools has been overlooked for far too long. Until we overhaul the system and deliver impartial, factual information to student at all levels, we will not make an impact.

“We need to approach this issue in a mature manner and not sheepishly avoid it because it is uncomfortable, our students deserve better.

“I applaud Minster Bruton for his continuing efforts to change this system and I urge schools to actively and constructively engage in the process.”