The curriculum does not normalize the use of pornography, the minister says

A video featuring a teacher’s claims that the new curriculum expects teachers to expose students to explicit, sexually explicit materials in the classroom has now been viewed more than 430,000 times.

In the video, the teacher describes how participants were shown graphic images, including a ‘sex card’ and a female cartoon masturbating, as part of training for the new SPHE course.

However, any suggestion that teachers are expected to teach or introduce explicit content or topics is incorrect, Ms Foley said in response to a parliamentary question.

“The curriculum categorically does not expose children to graphic or explicit content and does not normalize the use of pornography,” she said.

“On the contrary, the core message would be that pornography is not a good place to learn about sex, that it can be disturbing and even harmful to young people, and that it is incompatible with values ​​such as human dignity, respect and gender equality.”

Last week, Ms Foley faced opposition from fellow party member, Foreign Secretary Seán Fleming, who called for the removal of teacher training materials.

To date, more than 1,000 post-primary teachers have undergone training with the Dublin City University (DCU) Institute of Education, aimed at upskilling teachers in SPHE and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in the higher cycle for the revised course.

The Minister is aware of the video circulating suggesting that teachers are expected to introduce certain explicit and inappropriate topics and materials into the classroom.

“DCU has confirmed that this is absolutely not the case.”

As part of the training, teachers participating in the DCU program are engaged in a critical exploration of resources and content related to SPHE, she added.

This includes examples used internationally, as well as material directly accessible to children and young adults.

“These materials are not intended for classroom use, but to support teachers in discussing difficult and sensitive topics as they arise.

“As such, the material studied and viewed by teachers during the course is presented to them as adults and it is clear that inappropriate graphic or explicit material should never be used in a classroom setting.”

Since 2018, work has been underway to modernize RSE in Ireland.

This is the first major overhaul of RSE since the 1990s.

The work started with the junior cycle SPHE.

Recently, Ms Foley approved an updated SPHE curriculum for the upper cycle.

RSE is a compulsory part of the SPHE primary school curriculum.

Schools are required to teach all aspects of the RSE program, including family planning, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual orientation.

While the ethos of a school should not prevent the subject from being taught, it can influence the way the content is handled.