The minister for Education and Science, Michael Woods, has asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to review the Exploring Masculinities programme. In a Dail question for written reply, Fine Gael TD Enda Kenny asked the Minister to comment on Exploring Masculinities and asked if Woods's "attention has been drawn to the very adverse reaction to this programme".
The Minister's response on Tuesday pointed out that "the use of the programme by schools is entirely voluntary and they are free to offer . . . to the agreement of the parents and pupils concerned".
Exploring Masculinities, Woods said, "is based on recommendations from extensive research and from government reports and is set within the legislative framework of this country and the European Union as well as the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child".
However, he added: "I have asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to review the programme . . . to include the views of teachers, parents and young persons . . . . In addition, I have asked the Council to provide me with an assessment of the content and process of the programme." The review would include "the issues raised in the current public debate".
One of the groups that has been outspoken in opposition to the programme is AMEN, an organisation for male victims of domestic violence. A statement from AMEN called Exploring Masculinities "truly pernicious" and "an attempt to indoctrinate a generation of young Irishmen with feminist propaganda". AMEN has obtained the domain name www.exploringmasculinities.com to showcase criticisms of the programme.
The Minister cited the favourable external evaluation of the programme and said "the response from schools and other educationalists who have contacted my Department has been extremely positive".
Clarification: Contrary to a suggestion in an opinion article on page 6 of last week's EL, the NCCA was not consulted in the course of the design and development of the Exploring Masculinities programmme; it was consulted only at a later stage.
