NORTHERN IRELAND: Consider introducing mandatory sex education in schools- Secretary of State

IRELAND:  The Secretary of State has said he will consider introducing compulsory relationship and sex education (RSE) in schools if the Department of Education does not do so.

Shailesh Vara has written to the department to inform them he has a legal duty to act on the recommendations of a United Nations (UN) committee report on RSE, the BBC reported.

The UN report said RSE in Northern Ireland should be compulsory and cover topics including access to abortion and how to prevent pregnancy.

Michelle McIlveen, the minister of education, has written to Mr. Vara to set up a meeting.

RSE in Northern Irish schools "already provides chances for young people to learn about the implications of sexual development and the emotional, social, and moral ramifications of early sexual involvement," a Department of Education official told the BBC.

Based on their own ethos, each school in Northern Ireland chooses how to teach RSE.

A change in the way RSE is taught has been demanded by a number of people.

Age-appropriate relationship and sex education should be taught to pupils starting in primary one, according to retired judge Sir John Gillen.

Koulla Yiasouma, the children's commissioner, recently demanded that RSE be taught in schools much like other courses.

As a result of legislation adopted in Westminster in 2019, which resulted in a revision of the north's abortion rules, Mr. Vara has informed the Department of Education that he must take action on RSE.

Young people are "denied the education necessary to enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights," according to a 2018 UN report from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Due to the school's discretion to apply curriculum contents in accordance with its principles and ethos, it was stated that RSE was "underdeveloped or nonexistent."