asked the Minister for Education if he will review the rules and programme for secondary schools and eliminate therefrom any rules which discriminate between boys and girls, or boys' schools and girls' schools, on the basis of sex.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Secondary Co-Education.
37.
My Department have already amended the 1977-78 edition of the "Rules and Programme for Secondary "Schools" by deleting a provision in the regulations governing eligibility for the intermediate certificate examination which was regarded as being discriminatory on the basis mentioned. The matter is being continually studied in connection with the preparation of the next edition of "The Rules and Programme" with a view to amending any other provision which might possibly be regarded as being of a discriminatory nature.
I am sure the House is grateful for the information the Minister has given. Is the Minister aware that in the section dealing with the school curriculum it is apparently obligatory on schools providing education for girls to provide singing and home economics but it is not obligatory on schools providing education for boys? Is this another example of the type of discrimination I am talking about?
It is a type of discrimination that I would not stand over. We will get rid of this type of discrimination. I am very pleased that in many of the boys' schools home economics as a subject is being taken now.
Will the Minister undertake to bring the further aspect of discrimination which I brought to his attention to the notice of his officials in connection with their continuing revision of the rules and programmes?
I shall. I would like home economics particularly to be more widely taken in boys' schools.
Would the Minister's review extend to having a look at the actual texts and literature on the courses, in view of, in some cases, a fairly sexist attitude implicit in some of the literature?
I cannot answer the question in vacuo. Would the Deputy indicate some examples? Is it machismo?
There are many examples. Will the Minister accept that if he is interested in eliminating any discrimination on sex grounds from the actual courses in the schools it would be sensible to extend this to include the actual content of the course, the books and literature?
I assume the Deputy is referring to specifically written school text books at the junior levels?
Yes.
We cannot rewrite "Romeo and Juliet", and pretend one is the other.
I accept that.
I know what the Deputy is talking about, and I hope that my inspectors will watch for that at primary level.
I will forward a couple of examples.
Questions Nos. 38 and 39 are for written reply.