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SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS have told a nationwide consultation on Junior Cert reform that they should be given more classes on sexuality, sex education, alcohol and drugs.
A report launched this morning by education minister Ruairí Quinn and children’s minister Frances Fitzgerald showed that students felt the current curriculum in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) required expansion to cover more real-life concerns.
“Students called for classes that cover issues such as sexuality, sex education, personal health, alcohol and drug education, politics and study skills,” said Lisa Sheehy of the Dáil na nÓg Council, which assisted with the consultation.
Participants also complained that SPHE should not be taught by religion teachers, and suggested that outside experts be invited into schools to support students as they learn on life skills issues.
Only four subjects – SPHE, English, Maths and Civic Social and Political Education – should be mandatory, the students thought, with other subjects adjusted so that practical work like portfolios and journals are given greater weighting.
Other suggestions from the students were to shorten the Junior Certificate exam cycle to two years, extending the Senior Cycle by another year in return.
Students also suggested that First Year pupils in secondary school be assigned to permanent classrooms, with teachers moving between rooms rather than students, in order to help ease the transition to Second Level teaching.
The consultation’s results have been sent to the National Council for Curriculum Assessment for its consideration.
Fitzgerald said she “strongly believed in the importance of consulting with children and young people, and enabling their participation in decision-making issues on issues that affect their lives.”
A national literacy plan launched by Quinn last week outlined plans which would limit the number of subjects that a Junior Cert exam student can take to eight.
SPHE- Social PERSONAL and Health Education :)
We only had CSPE back in my day. ;)
It seems that these children have identified a huge gap in their education where religion ought to be, if religion wasn’t too concerned with fairy stories and how to avoid hurting the feelings of mythological beings. The children need and want instruction on how to grow up and lie in the modern world and it says a lot that they specifically don’t want religion teachers having anything to do with it.
“fairy stories” and ” hurting mythological beings”? What religion books do you be reading?
We only had civics
No sex or drug ed back in my day.
We only had civics too…where we were asked for our opinion on certain matters then told we were wrong.
And the little bit of sex ed was science class.
I agree with their views by and large but I don’t agree with the idea of having teachers moving to the students. Moving from class to class is something that students have to get used to for university. It helps students become more aware of timetables and gives them a bit more responsibility.
@ Elizabeth. I totally agree with you regards the classroom issue! Ive taught in schools where students have classrooms and where teachers have classrooms and it just doesn’t work when students have a base room! Nobody takes responsibility for keeping it clean! And the rooms get very dirty! Plus if a teacher has a classroom then the walls can be used to display educational posters and to display students work. You can’t very well have 9 different teachers trying to display work in the one room!
Interesting insights Gavan. Well done. Although the article (and maybe the report itself) assumes that the pupils are aware of how well the SPHE curriculum is being implemented in their schools in relation to the mandated standards of the Department of Education & Skills. The pupils may not realise it but they may actually just want the curriculum to be implemented properly in their schools. We won’t know if the curriculum “[requires] expansion” until it is implemented properly, e.g. timetabling SPHE appropriately and not merging it with Religious Education (BTW there shouldn’t be any problem with religion teachers teaching it anymore than teachers of any other subject. The issue is how it is timetabled and delivered.)
@ Richard. It is timetabled separately to religion. It has to be as a requirement. As a religion and SPHE teacher there is a difficulty. And that difficulty is conflicting views. As a religion teacher you are not going to promote sex before marriage. On the other hand as a SPHE teacher you have to educate students about safe sex. But you give the students the FACTS and NEVER your OPINION as you can leave yourself wide open to trouble. You have to be very careful. Students confide in SPHE teachers more than any other teacher and a lot of students understandably would not feel comfortable discussing issues like safe sex with a religion teacher as they feel they may be judged. It’s the one subject where students can express themselves and the teacher/student relationship has to be one of trust.
@Niamh Yes I am aware that SPHE must be timetabled separately but I am also aware of schools which don’t do this. On the issue of teachers I guess I think that while religion teachers are tasked with communicating a certain set of values any other teacher can also hold a certain value system which may impinge on the implementation of SPHE. Why would a pupil rather have a judgemental and badly trained French teacher for SPHE than a well trained and religion teacher? All teachers have values of some sort and they will all bring these values in some way to the SPHE classroom, it’s impossible not to. Also I don’t think delivering SPHE can ever be split into the facts of the curriculum and the seemingly absent opinions of the teacher. Values seep through whether it is an atheist teaching on the holistic (and therefore spiritual) nature of sexuality or those who believe sex belongs within marriage but have no difficulty in addressing safer sex options or those who struggle to facilitate open discussion on sexual issues because of past cultural/religious influences. A teacher can never be a machine that churns out the facts of a curriculum. They will always bring part of themselves to the classroom irrespective of what subject they teach.
Great to see Irish not among the top 4 subjects. Students rightly know it’s not as important as the other listed subjects.
I’m against permanent rooms though, students need to exercise themselves with the little walk. Sitting for that long damages your health long term. We should buy them standing desks instead. Keep them alert :)
Some great suggestions here, especially to stop Religion teachers as SPHE teachers. I’ve always noticed a dominant set of values that not everyone agrees with. It should be a “here’s the facts, make up your own mind” kinda subject.
Ya see, great things happen when us young people are allowed have a say in the things we’re taught.
I’m sick and tired of the “we know best” mantra from government, ministers, unions and other know it alls.
@ David, see my above comment!!! It has to be a give the facts and not your opinion subject! I teach both SPHE and Religion, and it’s not an issue because I keep the two separate and don’t lecture children about what I believe or don’t believe in SPHE class. It’s facts all the way!!!
They right too !
We had our own classroom because there were no lockers. Had to drag a full bag to and from school everyday.
Very few of today’s kids have a full bag , what with Internet porn and the like.
They won’t get their way on the Irish thing, too much of a lobby group for the language so students needs and wants won’t be looked after.
Also interesting to know students value maths despite falling numbers taking higher level. The problem clearly isn’t the students when it comes to math results IMO.
have your say