Greens push Scottish Government to make changes to PSE curriculum
The Greens are calling on the Scottish Government to press ahead with changes to Personal & Social Education classes (PSE), after a majority of MSPs backed a campaign for LGBTI issues to be taught in all schools.
At the start of 2017, the Scottish Greens became the first parliamentary party at Holyrood to wholly endorse the TIE Pledge. Now 66 MSPs have backed the campaign for a new national strategy to tackle LGBTI bullying in Scotland’s schools.
This comes less than a week after Holyrood's Education & Skills committee, at the request of Ross Greer MSP, held a roundtable on PSE in schools, which revealed the lack of LGBT-inclusive education and consistent education about consent in relationships. [3]
Ross Greer MSP, the Scottish Greens’ education spokesperson, said:
"It's clear that PSE is out of date, inconsistent and just not valued as it should be. Addressing homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and mental health issues is hugely important. If we're serious about giving every young person the chance to do well, we must provide the time and space that teachers need. There shouldn't be any doubt about whether every young person receives relevant, inclusive personal education. That means action from the Scottish Government.
"There’s now a majority of MSPs who back changes and hopefully the number will still rise. The Scottish Government must now update the antiquated PSE curriculum and make sure every young person is included in their school and equipped for adult life.