Written Answers. - Personal and Social Development.
Paul Bradford
Ceist:
385
Mr. Bradford
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
his views on his Department's exploring masculinity programme; and if he will have the matter referred to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science for its views before it is introduced in schools here.
[26531/00]
The exploring masculinities programme is a programme of personal and social development for young men participating in the transition year programme or one of the leaving certificate programmes. It is one of a number of support programmes for teachers in this area of the curriculum and was developed over a five year period by teachers working with officials from my Department.
The programme manual, including teaching materials, and video are available to schools as resource materials. They can be used as a stand-alone programme in transition year, or can be integrated into some of the standard senior cycle programmes for second level schools. Second level schools are free to offer the programme or to use it as resource material, subject, as with any other similar programme, to the agreement of parents and the pupils concerned.
The programme covers a wide range of issues relevant to the lives of males and puts them in the context of the changes affecting the lives of men and women in the world of today, economic, legislative and social. These changes have implications for the economic, personal and social lives of men as well as women and yet there has been little attention paid to how they are affecting men's lives. While attention has been paid to how women's roles have changed over the past 25 years and this is reflected in girls' educational experiences, boys' educational experiences have not reflected these changes to the same degree.
The programme constitutes a response to recommendations from research carried out in second level schools nationally, and recommendations contained in a number of Government reports. It is set within the framework of the recent equality legislation in this country and in the EU, specifically the Amsterdam Treaty, and within the framework of this country's commitments to international agreements.
All Departments have a responsibility to promote equality and anti-discrimination and, as education is one of the key areas where the foundations for a broadening of attitudes and tolerance for diversity can be established, both of my immediate predecessors rightly considered that this initiative should be undertaken. This programme is one of a number of initiatives in the area of equality in education which have been undertaken by my Department over a number of years.
In the light of the recent public debate on the programme, I have asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, which has a statutory function under the Education Act, 1998, to advise me on all aspects of the curriculum, to undertake a review of the programme, including the views of teachers, parents and young persons participating in the programme.
I have indicated that, in undertaking this review, the council should have regard to best practice in this and other countries, to the implications of current relevant policy and legislation in this area and the issues raised in the current public debate.
I would welcome a discussion of this and any other newly developed or revised curricular programme by the Joint Committee on Education and Science, once the process of development and review has been completed.
