Sinn Fein councillor Aileen Mellon
Said Cllr Mellon: “Reform of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools is long overdue as schools are picking and choosing parts of the sexual education curriculum to deliver to their students.
“There is a clear need for a standardised, comprehensive and inclusive RSE policy in schools and this would help to allay any concerns parents may have about the teaching of RSE.
“We know that there are significant variations in the content and scope of RSE across schools.
“In many schools, the RSE programme is completely inadequate and is not meeting the needs of young people particularly for young people within the LGBTQI+ community.
“The lack of proper RSE in our schools is failing to fully equip young people with positive and informed outlooks on their sexual health, self-care, body image, relationships, gender identity, contraception, consent and sexuality.
“The Department of Education has a duty to develop a transparent and standardised approach that meets international obligations as well as providing clarity and reassurance to parents.”
