Majority of students unhappy with sex ed received in Irish schools

The majority of students are unhappy with the sex education they received in Irish schools.

71 percent of women and 63 percent of men have said that they found their sex ed to be unsatisfactory, with 15 percent and 20 percent respectively saying that they were happy with the education they received. The remaining students were neutral. In a survey carried out by the NUIG SMART Consent research team, the majority of women surveyed also said that they had experienced "sexual hostility" or gender harassment since starting college. 70 percent of these were in third year, 64 percent were in second year, and 54 percent were in their first year of college. 40 percent, 37 percent, and 20 percent of men in the same years surveyed said the same. Speaking on Morning Ireland today, Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O'Connor called the findings "troubling." She said:

"We need to make sure what we roll out right across our third level institutions is a uniform minimum standard, and what we've seen is that workshops seem to work within that university sector."

This comes after the Department of Education ordered a review of sex education across the Irish education system. The review should consider "...the needs of young people today." Most students surveyed said that they wished they knew more about sexuality and sexual health, with the vast majority saying that their sex ed classes left out "crucial and important information." The full report can be accessed here.