asked the Minister for Education if she will include counselling on the use and abuse of alcohol as part of the secondary school curriculum.
Written Answers. - Drug and Substance Use and Abuse.
38.
Current syllabus development being undertaken by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, in the areas of science and of home economics particularly, addresses the issue of healthy and safe living. Treatment of questions relation to drug and substance use and abuse, including alcohol, can be dealt with in this context as well as through the various pastoral care and social and personal development programmes implemented by individual schools.
The flexibility of the post-primary curriculum also allows for the treatment of such topics within the programme for such subjects as civics, biology, physical education and religious instruction.
The civics syllabus is designed to allow contemporary social and civic problems such as the abuse of alcohol and other drugs to be dealt with in the classroom.
My Department have co-operated with the Department of Health in support of in-service training courses and seminars for teachers in second-level schools on the topic of substance abuse education, including alcohol abuse. There has been co-operation as well in the development of teaching materials for teachers.