Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Chris Abercrombie: Post Primary Teachers' Association President on the inconsistencies in the sex education curriculum

Transcript

Chris Abercrombie: Post Primary Teachers' Association President on the inconsistencies in the sex education curriculum · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Education Review officers, our relationship and sexual health teaching
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: is inconsistent in different schools at not meeting student needs.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: So they did another one of these reports back in
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: twenty eighteen and then EERO found that schools were meeting
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: minimum standards, but there were gaps in what was taught.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Those results have been mirrored in today's report. I'm joined
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: now to talk about this by the PPTA President, Chris Abercrombie.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Good morning to you.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Good morning.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: So this is the second report to find that it's
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: a bit loose all over a nation. Why has nothing
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: being done about the curriculum.
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: Well, this is an incredibly sensitive space for a lot
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: of people, and so as the report said, you know,
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: schools are under pressure, principles, under pressure from certain parts
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: of their community, and so it's incredibly sensitive issue. So
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: I think this hasn't been dealt with, but it's really
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: clear it needs to be.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I read the reporter. It says parents and students
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: want to learn earlier about personal safety, their friendships and bullying.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Our parents want students to learn more about consent. Boys
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: want to learn all topics later than girls. Fathers want
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: less of that relationship stuff and sexuality education taught the mothers.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: So with so many points of view, isn't it just
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: impossible to write a curriculum that meets with mass approval,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: So it should be in the hands of these schools
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: and not a national curriculum.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: Well, the problem at the moment is in the hands
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: of these schools and it's not meeting really anyone's needs.
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: As the report said, three quarters of recent school leaders
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: said they didn't learn enough. So the idea of a
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: national curriculum is that everyone knows what's expected. Everyone's got
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: a clear understanding and what's happening. So parents could withdraw
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: their students if they chose to, or supplement their students
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: are learning if they chose to. So it's just giving
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: one a clear baseline.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: So is there any work going into a clear baseline
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  Speaker 1: or are we going to end out dilly delling the
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: way we already have between twenty eighteen and now this
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  Speaker 1: new report in twenty twenty four.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: My understanding there is nothing on the horizon for this
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: part of the curriculum. So we're really hoping the government
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: takes on board these recommendations from er.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Could it be too terrible of me, shock horror to
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: suggest that perhaps forget about the schools and maybe parents
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: should take this into their own hands.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, parents should absolutely have a key role
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  Speaker 2: in this, and it's really important that parents understand that,
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: and it's a relationship between school and parents to get
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: this right. And so the report really clearly says that
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: some people want more, some people want less, and so
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: it's about just making sure everyone's got a clear baseline
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: and so that parents can supplement, battle or remove these
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: students if they choose to.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Chris Abercrobi, thanks for getting up early for us. Chris
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: is the PPTA president.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: to News Talks it be from five am weekdays, or
• 2:39
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