Greer calls on Education Secretary to act on report showing inconsistent & inadequate PSE in schools
Ross Greer MSP, Education spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, today (23 May) called on Education Secretary John Swinney to act on the findings of a report showing alarming evidence of "inconsistent" and "inadequate" Personal and Social Education (PSE) in schools.
Holyrood's Education Committee says it received concerning evidence that for some young people, particularly LGBTI young people, sex education comes from the internet, including pornography, due to a lack of provision in school and that many young people do not learn about the principle of consent in relationships due to inconsistent coverage.
The issue of mental health education is also a major subject of the report, with the committee agreeing that it should be a core element of PSE but the evidence received noted that for many school students this is not the case and contributes significantly towards poor mental health amongst young people.
The committee received a substantial quantity of submissions to their call for evidence, including a large number from young people themselves.
Ross Greer MSP, a member of the committee, said:
"I pushed hard to get PSE onto the Parliament's agenda and I hope this report serves as a wake up call for Scottish Ministers and local councils. It's clear from the evidence we received that tens of thousands of young people are leaving school without the essential life skills they need.
"It's unacceptable that we are not equipping our young people with basic information about mental health, inclusive sex and relationship education or even the principle of sexual consent. The Scottish Government must agree to our call for a review of PSE as a matter of priority.
"This report is a reminder that education isn’t just about producing sets of exam results; it’s about developing confident, well-rounded individuals. PSE needs to be seen as equal to traditional, assessed subjects but in reality it is not."
Greer welcomes review of PSE, guidance and counselling in schools (March 2017)
Greens push Scottish Government to make changes to PSE curriculum (February 2017)