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The Daily PollA SURVEY IN the UK has found that the vast majority of adults think that dealing with pornography and sexting should be an integral part of sex education.
The survey comes following research in the UK which found that 13% of 11-to 16-year-olds reported having taken topless pictures of themselves.
It’s argued that greater education would help young people deal with the availability of sexual imagery.
Today’s poll, Should sex education deal with sexting and pornography?
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Of course. Why isn’t it already. With 2017 not 1720. Young people are on a whole different wavelength.
@The Girl: Because Catholic Church controls ethos of nearly 100% of all our (state) schools, including state schools, and so a Catholic dogma version only of sex education is taught. These are the bishops guidelines for how it must be taught (if at all) in Catholic ethos schools (including cute stuff like telling teachers they must not tolerate differing views from learners, because it’s not a matter of opinion). “The teacher will not attempt to build respect for the views of others on the false and fragile base of thinking that it does not much matter what one’s view is, so long as it is sincere.”
Is this how we want our young people to be taught? Indoctrination is the word that springs to mind – read it and see if you’re happy that this is how your child or young adult is being taught in our state education system? http://www.religiouseducation.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RSE-Guidelines-RofI-for-web.pdf
Gov tried to get schools to implement Relationships & Sexuality Education curriculum (it’s a good and very responsible curriculum) as developed by Dept of Ed, and to tell schools they had to have a policy and to provide it if all their funding comes from the state.
Most schools have just ignored the department on this. RSE is often not taught at all, or if it is then it is taught as part of Religious Faith Instruction in secondary schools and many schools get really dodgy conservative Catholic people like Pure in Heart to come into the school.
It’s a horrific situation where our young people are being tragically let down and not getting the learning they so desperately need. The Government needs to ensure that every young person has access to an impartial Relationships & Sexuality Education curriculum in our state-funded schools. It is what young people themselves have called for in every government consultation on education.
@Little Diddy No: Why the down thumbs? Do you think it is OK that same sex marriage is OK in civil life, but a sin in sex ed in our state schools? Ditto contraception and divorce?
Ye sure get the parish priest in to tell them not to watch that filth or their mickeys will fall off.
It’s already happened for half the population
And their mickeyless sorry corpses will be condemned to the dark depths to slowly roast for all eternity in the hell fires of damnation. Nothing a dose of good old Irish Catholic fear can’t solve.
@Jamie Lyons: That’s the one Jamie & R.E.S.P.E.C.T as regrds any type of communication with opposite sex & then gwan out there Lads & score for Ireland !!
Totally yes to both! I had to find the best porn sites on my own!
Would be an improvement on what I was taught. One half day class with a nun who explained the mechanics of sex and pretty much summed it up as: now that you know how its done, don’t do it.
@Tony Le Blanc: It truly has not changed since – scandalously in nearly 100% of state schools it is still in the hands of the church, who lay down strict guidelines about how it must be taught (if at all) in Catholic ethos schools. They do not teach the perfectly moral and sensitive Dept of Ed version but a Catholic dogma version – if they teach it at all.
Maybe it’s just the schools I’ve taught in but that’s just not true. Catholic Ethos schools do teach sex Ed/rse, and no its not the “abstain or you’ll make god sad and it’ll fall off” version. Not saying it can’t be improved and I’m all for completely removing religion from school enrolment/mgmt/ethos etc but picture ur painting is nonsense.
@Graham: Did you read the bishops’ guidelines I posted above? Any Catholic ethos school not implementing them is going against their patron’s instructions. I am uneasy that a Catholic ethos state school (90% of our schools) is supposed to teach it like that and that it is down to chance if they choose to go against orders.
I am heartened to hear that schools you have taught in have taught the state Relationships & Sexuality curriculum with no Catholic ethos bias at all – is that what you are saying?
It’s just that research released by Dail na Nog showed that 74% of young people surveyed had received no relationship and sexuality education (RSE). The small number of those who had, said that it was delivered mainly in religion class.
And the Dept of Ed’s own report (‘an assessment of the challenges to full implementation’ of this state curriculum) found significant issues:
“Teachers articulated a variety of views on the impact school ethos had on their teaching of RSE. A considerable number stated they relied on the school policy for guidance. A number who addressed more ‘sensitive’ issues, such as contraceptive use, always prefaced this teaching by acknowledging the school’s religious ethos.”
“•School ethos, and its impact on RSE, remains shrouded in ambiguity, leading to personal interpretations of ‘ethos’ on the part of teachers, differences in how they approach the content of RSE and, in particular, topics such as contraception, condom use and homosexuality.”
Many schools simply don’t teach it, or teach it at secondary level as part of Religious Education.
I just think we need clearly to have the Department ensure that all state funded schools understand that the learner comes first and that they deserve to have the full RSE curriculum delivered, and in an impartial fashion.
Nope didnt read it. Completely agree that a full RSE curriculum independent from interference from any religious body should be what we have. Same for education in general actually. never said schools I’ve taught in delivered that just said the picture U painted wasn’t accurate. RSE was delivered as part of SPHE not religion and on the few occasions I’ve taught it myself I answered any and all appropriate questions with no bias. The system at present is inadequate but NOT the 1950s version uve presented. At least in my experience.
@Graham: Jeez Lads, 50′s version? I’m not that old. I’m talking late 80′s here…………sh*te, I’m old enough I suppose
Parents responsibility, not the schools.
Sean> So if the parents have an unhealthy or irrational thoughts about sex we should condem their children to the same? Being a parent doesn’t make you instantly correct or knowledgeable.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Students have said overwhelmingly in consultations that they value relationships and social and emotional learning in school above every single other subject – why can they not have that?
Parents are not often able or willing to talk to their children or young adults – in any case, it’s not just about the facts of life – they need unconditional spaces to talk about the real issues in their lives (whether we like it or not) of sexting, consent, relationships, sexuality and so on – in a responsible space with properly trained adults.
Our state education system is dominated ethos wise by the Catholic Church, because the state has abdicated its responsibility. They have produced a very good, moral and sensitive Relationships & Sexuality Education (RSE) curriculum, and sent a circular years back requiring state-funded schools to produce a policy on RSE and to provide RSE. Most schools have failed to do so, and they are also allowed to teach it as part of Religious Education class (which in a Catholic school is Catholic faith instruction) – that is just not right. Our young people are entitled to have this subject taught impartially in their schools.
@Little Diddy No: Sorry, to be clear, the STATE (dept Ed) has produced the good, moral and sensitive RSE curriculum, not the church – these are the church guidelines for the teaching of RSE in Catholic ethos state schools – I find it quite chilling, with instructions like this: “The teacher will not attempt to build respect for the views of others on the false and fragile base of thinking that it does not much matter what one’s view is, so long as it is sincere.” and “Where fundamental disagreements have emerged about the right way to behave in particular situations, the discussion should not be ended by saying, ‘what is right for one person may be wrong for another, so let’s agree to differ’. What is right and wrong is not a
mere matter of opinion.” http://www.religiouseducation.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RSE-Guidelines-RofI-for-web.pdf
What kind of way is that to teach our young people? How is it right that our young people are being taught in our state education system that, although the law no longer makes it illegal for gay people to marry, or for people to divorce, or for adults to use contraception, all these things are wrong and a sin?
We need to act to ensure that our young people are no longer being subjected to an outdated Relationships & Sexuality Education that could have come out of the 1950s.
Is oral sex really talking about it?
Difficult to say without knowing what would be said about it
Try love education if here is anyone qualified the rest needs no further explanation.
@Mike Holmes: Failing that of course some will insist on staying on topic ..how exactly do you bring youngsters face to face with an industry that using mentally I’ll people be abused on screen funded by usually the dealwers they owe money to foir narcotics? Wouldn’t wanna take that class and as for rhwe digital form of heavy breathers on the phone ? Certainly instructing my kids to be playing truant that day!
@Mike Holmes: Of course having failed to produce any opportunities for young people or secure and invest in their future Vradakar and cronies will probably deliver it as a career option rather than education after all they done alright outta putting it about eh?
It seems that common decency and good taste are virtues the schools feel they can offer ,schools funded by a government that have sold one half of us and would sell the other half if we paid them any heed. Whatever about the poor misfortunates whom are victims of that vile industry their prostitution is clear for all to see ,however the institutions of intellectual prostitutiion nd their respectable offices don’t seem to think there is any wrongdoing on their part. The take the children of decent hardworking families and dehumanise rthem into selling out their values and core decency to gain a career,and for what a fiat currency that has never succeeded and this is the measure of success? Home schooling or unschooling
Wouldn’t trust them. Not if the nonsense they told us about sex and drugs is anything to go by. Figure it out yourselves probably be better off.
I actually agree .. Who doesn’t remember being told crap like marijuana staying in your blood stream for 7 years or it being a gateway drug. Or sex education kowtowing to Catholic dogma and completely skipping contraception which might have been handy considering there were 4 girls pregnant in the school by fifth year. This wasn’t the early 1980′s either… this was the late 1990′s.
@Flip off: Don’t give up on it – our young adults deserve better than Catholic indoctrination, which is 100% what they are getting now instead of proper, impartial relationships & sex ed.
We need to stop the church dictating how this subject is taught in our state schools.
Seriously, in all consultations with young people they have asked for this subject to be taught and to be taught impartially. Imagine girls and lads having a place to share views honestly on subjects such as sexting, consent, sexuality, body image, etc?
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Meanwhile our laws are in place to protect some of the children, some of the time … “For producing, distributing, printing, or publishing child pornography, the maximum penalty is 1,900 euros, 12 months’ imprisonment, or both. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children criticized these penalties as too lenient.”
It’s almost impossible to know if it will work but you gotta try..by even mentioning porn and sexting you’re normalising them for some…
This is already taught in schools. There are plenty of resources available for teachers from Webwise: https://www.webwise.ie/lockers/
Teaching them about dirty old men and women might help as well? How do you teach about porn as most porn is unsafe anyways, if people used what they saw to teach them about safety then they would be f….d?
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