Comprehensive and evidence-based sex education needs to be integrated into school curriculums here at all levels of education and in teacher training, the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child has said.
It has said Ireland needs to ensure that this includes education on gender equality, sexual diversity, sexual and reproductive health rights, responsible sexual behaviour and violence prevention.
The committee’s call reflects broad acknowledgement here that up-to-date programmes are urgently needed across all school levels.
With current guidelines now 25 years old, last October Minister for Education Norma Foley acknowledged an "urgent need" for modern curricula, and said it was a "priority".
In a number of recommendations related to education here the committee has also called on Ireland to amend laws which act as barriers to ensuring a child’s right to education based on religious or "ethos" grounds.
More than 90% of primary schools here are religious run and more than half of all second-level schools. Those schools are legally entitled to refuse to admit a student who does not belong to their religious denomination if they can prove that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school.
The law also allows schools that are run by a minority religion to prioritise a student of that religion or a similar religion over others.
The UN committee has said that both the Education (Admission to Schools) Act of 2018, and the Equal Status Acts need to be amended in order to guarantee the right of all children to practice freely their religion or belief.
It has also called for statutory guidelines to be introduced to ensure a child’s right not to attend religion classes in school.
Currently most schools in the country oblige a child whose family wishes them to opt out of religious education to remain in the classroom during the lesson, and they refuse to provide them with an alternative curricular option.
The committee has said Ireland needs to develop "a time-bound strategy, with adequate resources", for meeting its targets for increasing the availability of multi-denominational schools by 2030. It says the country should also set a target with a time-bound strategy and adequate resources for increasing the availability of non-denominational schools here.
The Government aims to have 400 multi-denominational primary schools in operation by 2030. Currently the number is just 149.
UN report highlights serious concern for children's rights in Ireland
The committee has also called for a 2018 provision which allows schools to give priority to the children and grandchildren of former students when it comes to enrolment to be abolished.
Linking this provision with discrimination against children from minority and other backgrounds, the UN committee said it needed to be removed as part of moves "to strengthen the equal access of children in disadvantaged groups, including Roma and Traveller children, asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant children, children with disabilities and socioeconomically disadvantaged children, to quality education".
