School students may soon be taught about the importance of consent as part of their sex education.

It’s one of a number of recommendations by the Oireachtas Education Committee to overhaul how the subject is taught.

A report from the committee, released today, calls for a range of changes – including blocking religious schools from influencing sex education in line with their own ethos.

The committee compiled the report after seeking submissions from a host of interested groups and individuals last year.

The report warns that religious schools should lose the power to influence sex education “as soon as possible” – in order to ensure religious beliefs cannot act as a barrier to “objective, factual” information on relationships and sexuality.

It also warns that the current curriculum is outdated and does not reflect modern Ireland and calls for any new curriculum to be fully inclusive of LGBTQI relationships and experiences.

It also recommends a crackdown on transphobic and homophobic bullying.

It calls for the new curriculum to focus on consent – with students also learning about the potential negative impacts of pornography.

Under the plans, students would also receive sex education at an earlier age.

The report warns that teachers must be given accredited training to provide any new curriculum, and calls for funding for training teachers to be "guaranteed and ring-fenced".

"It's a difficult world out there"

Fiona O'Loughlin Image: RollingNews.ie

Chair of the Education Committee, Fianna Fáil's Fiona O’Loughlin, said a lot has changed since the current curriculum was introduced 20 years ago.

She said: "It's a difficult world out there for young people, and we need to equip our young people to navigate the world in so many different ways - sexuality is one of those."

She added that consent is "absolutely one of the key areas" that sex education needs to focus on.

The Solidarity party called for the Government to "move speedily to introduce the required legislation" to implement the changes.

Sinn Féin, meanwhile, highlighted that the report recommends the proposed changes are introduced by the end of the year at the latest. 

The party's education spokesperson Kathleen Funchion said: “The current curriculum and delivery of Relationships and Sexuality is outdated and does not reflect a modern Ireland. 

“Consent, reproductive health and the negative impact of pornography should be included in the reviewed curriculum."

Additional reporting by Stephen McNeice