A draft curriculum for primary schools does not include any references to gender identity despite extensive “misinformation” to the contrary, according to the State body responsible for developing the new syllabus.
The blueprint, to be finalised shortly by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), represents the biggest shake-up to primary education in 25 years.
The wellbeing section of the draft curriculum – which aims to provide children with a “balanced, inclusive, age- and developmentally-appropriate understanding of human development and sexuality” – was the subject of a large volume of commentary during a recent public consultation.
Many submissions and comments focused on the inclusion of tuition around gender identity and LGBT terms and whether these topics were appropriate for primary schoolchildren.
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The NCCA consultation report notes, however, that gender identity was not mentioned in drafts of the primary curriculum.
It said a “diversity of opinion was shared on gender identity and LGBTI+ terminology that do not feature in the draft wellbeing” curriculum.
It said “participants advocating for the specific inclusion of LGBTI+ terminology and reference to gender identity within the specification stood in clear contrast to others who view this as inappropriate content for primary level”.
The report notes many submissions on these issues tended to follow “a template format indicative of the preformatted submissions which were received, and in this case, were based on mis- and/or disinformation”.
Written submissions and focus groups of teachers, parents and others stakeholders illustrated very contrasting views on the topic.
Some called for a focus on gender identity on the basis that “conversations will happen in classrooms”.
“It’s not fair if children feel fear or anxiety. There is research on sexuality and gender and there is a gap in teachers’ understanding of gender and sexuality. Gender issues with children arise in many schools now. It is vital to have a discussion around it,” according to the summary of one focus group contribution.
Members of another focus group commented that the curriculum “skirted around” any reference to the topic and that gender fluidity should be recognised, along with the spectrum of sexuality.
By contrast, other focus group participants said sexuality education should be taught at home by parents rather than at school. It was stated family and religious values could be affected by such a programme and it could “cause a big split within classes”.
One commented that talking to a five- or eight-year-old about how they feel about their own biological sex and gender would be “an assault on the child’s emotional and physical health” and called for all such content to be removed from school or State-sponsored education.
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