Chris Abercrombie: Post Primary Teachers' Association President on the inconsistencies in the sex education curriculum

The PPTA says letting each school set its own sex education standards has been a failed model.  

Education Review Office research has found inconsistencies in how the subject is taught between schools.  

PPTA President Chris Abercrombie says it will be hard to impress everyone as there are a variety of views.  

He told Andrew Dickens a standardised national curriculum would be a good starting point.   

Abercrombie says leaving it up to schools isn't really working for anyone at the moment, with three-quarters of school leavers saying they didn't learn enough. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Education Review officers, our relationship and sexual health teaching
is inconsistent in different schools at not meeting student needs.
So they did another one of these reports back in
twenty eighteen and then EERO found that schools were meeting
minimum standards, but there were gaps in what was taught.
Those results have been mirrored in today's report. I'm joined
now to talk about this by the PPTA President, Chris Abercrombie.

(00:23):
Good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
So this is the second report to find that it's
a bit loose all over a nation. Why has nothing
being done about the curriculum.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Well, this is an incredibly sensitive space for a lot
of people, and so as the report said, you know,
schools are under pressure, principles, under pressure from certain parts
of their community, and so it's incredibly sensitive issue. So
I think this hasn't been dealt with, but it's really
clear it needs to be.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah, I read the reporter. It says parents and students
want to learn earlier about personal safety, their friendships and bullying.
Our parents want students to learn more about consent. Boys
want to learn all topics later than girls. Fathers want
less of that relationship stuff and sexuality education taught the mothers.
So with so many points of view, isn't it just
impossible to write a curriculum that meets with mass approval,

(01:11):
So it should be in the hands of these schools
and not a national curriculum.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, the problem at the moment is in the hands
of these schools and it's not meeting really anyone's needs.
As the report said, three quarters of recent school leaders
said they didn't learn enough. So the idea of a
national curriculum is that everyone knows what's expected. Everyone's got
a clear understanding and what's happening. So parents could withdraw
their students if they chose to, or supplement their students
are learning if they chose to. So it's just giving

(01:38):
one a clear baseline.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
So is there any work going into a clear baseline
or are we going to end out dilly delling the
way we already have between twenty eighteen and now this
new report in twenty twenty four.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
My understanding there is nothing on the horizon for this
part of the curriculum. So we're really hoping the government
takes on board these recommendations from er.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Could it be too terrible of me, shock horror to
suggest that perhaps forget about the schools and maybe parents
should take this into their own hands.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Well, I mean, parents should absolutely have a key role
in this, and it's really important that parents understand that,
and it's a relationship between school and parents to get
this right. And so the report really clearly says that
some people want more, some people want less, and so
it's about just making sure everyone's got a clear baseline
and so that parents can supplement, battle or remove these

(02:26):
students if they choose to.

Speaker 1 (02:28):
Chris Abercrobi, thanks for getting up early for us. Chris
is the PPTA president.

Speaker 2 (02:32):
For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live
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