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Curriculum: Course content, considerations around the issues covered – Irish, SPHE (sexuality, health, gender) and Religion (understanding the Ireland we are living in today).

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Secondary Education Recommendation for National Executive

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Secondary Education Recommendation for National Executive

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You are paid so much less than what others are paid, you are expected to do more than others for less money.  We try to work harder to make sure we earn our money, but being paid less when you are young isn’t nice.

reason you’re paid less is to encourage employers to hire people with no experience.

The experience requirements for jobs is so frustrating. Entry level jobs that require experience. How can I have experience when I am trying to get experie

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Some systems in Ireland are very discriminatory – the blood donation system against LGBTQ+ people. Something that needs to change very much so *others agree*.

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Direct Provision – yp can’t go to college if their parents don’t have citizenship. They can’t get jobs – it’s so tough and there have been no changed to it.

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Active inclusion, especially people from other cultures. People shouldn’t have to adapt to our way of life. Generally speaking across the board.

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Start with changing the school curriculum (the way it focuses on ‘if you’re not good at school, you won’t get a good job’ but also to change SPHE). Need to add diversity to the curriculum. Make people aware of the changing Ireland.     x 3

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Lack of education of other religions and differences creates this ignorance.

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I agree a lot – same school. Most schools focus on catholisicim. Religion class shouldn’t just be about Catholicism but about other religions too.

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Gender segregation in Ireland is a big thing. Boys vs Girl Schools. They also tend to be based on one religion. Very little education about all other religions. I think schools should be teaching more than one religion – including children (students) in learning about their own religion. Some people in my class from different religions have to learn about Catholicism but we don’t learn about other religions or their own.

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Ireland is very old fashioned on their views about schools. Most primary schools I know are catholic based and old fashioned in the way their views are. Most of them are named after catholic characters. Views very set in one path and they are not open to changing their views. These views definitely don’t reflect the views of the young people attending these schools .Young people now are growing up in different races, genders, sexuality and the schools do not represent this. The management and principals are all off

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Prayer service – children of other religions forced to learn songs and hymns from a religion that isn’t theirs. Forced to go to these religious services

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Communions and confirmations exclude so many others in our class and schools as it does not apply to them but their education

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didn’t realise the amount of different interpretations of equality.

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Value and promotion of the Irish language. Start off with the education system – prioritise Gaeltacht speaking teachers. Change the curriculum to ensure it is effective and works well. They teach it like it is a dead language. Change the requirements around TDs and politicians who are there to represent the Gaeltacht. My skill is at a disadvantage in my own home.

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We haven’t really touched on race yet. There is a difference in treatment between black and white people when it comes to the police and security guards. A lot of black friends I have know they get extra looks in shops, they feel nervous going into a shop with a bag on because they’ll be accused of something.

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When talking about equality – we focus on other religions and minorities. My focus would be the Irish language and the minority of people that speak it – this is an issue I feel very strongly about. Obviously I am a white catholic Irish girl so I have never experienced racism. But from the age of 5 I have been told that I need to learn English, because nobody will understand you if you speak Irish to them outside of the Gaeltacht. Travelling within Ireland and not being able to speak Irish, without being judged is quite frustrating. The new marking system is a challenge too – you used to get higher marks for doing exams as gaeilge, this has been gotten rid of so now that incentive has been removed from people to speak Irish.

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Gender and sexuality – nowadays it is very strong in schools because of teachers. But I think they have their ways, they enforce rules that people of different sexualities or genders feel are directed at them. But I don’t think teachers realise what harm they are doing to a child if they segregate them like this. These students are trying to express themselves and their identity but this is being regulated by rules and teachers implementing them. Treated different based on gender, identity. Teachers are not used to it – gender and sexuality back then was hidden, not as visible as now.

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I couldn’t agree more – our education is kind of dated. SPHE class gets on my nerves. Biology is all about how to create a baby between a man and a woman and nothing else. You feel isolated and not understood at all when your experience or world view isn’t represented in their teachings.

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my hope in new junior cycle is that diverse lives are shared and taught about so this problem could be solved.

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Teacher told a student she looked like a lesbian because she cut her hair short. This just isn’t on, they shouldn’t be allowed to change. Teachers are telling us that their belief is this and I am going to teach you this. When students hear teachers saying this, they feel like they can continue to be ignorant.

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100% - *agreement among the group*. SPHE being reformed could change a lot of things but not everything.

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I feel like they do the bare minimum and they rely on their own beliefs (teachers). They should be sent on courses to understand different ways of life, there are no qualifications needed for SPHE. If there were, then things could change. SPHE should be more representative of the students sitting in our schools

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Ireland is big into ‘children should be seen and not heard – they don’t listen to you until you’re in your 20s. Its always small things – restaurant/bar always one of the last to be served. In school when you say something and teachers don’t even take you seriously. I think they just aren’t bothered with us.

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Teachers definitely need to go on a course to understand these things.

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In fairness, my teachers are really good with this.

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When we are in school, we’ve been taken out of education before to go to mass. For other religions, their religion isn’t prioritised.

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: I agree with this point. Friends feel more vulnerable going around town, they have to check themselves more.

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I feel heavily on the issue of confirmations and communions – other people of different religions were forced to sit in church and sectioned off because they are not there to receive the sacraments. Schools need to get it in their head, about how these students would feel about being segregated.