Friday, May 01, 2009

Britain To Require Sex Ed In Schools, But With Modifications For Faith Schools

On Monday, Britain's Department for Children, Schools and Families published a 56-page report titled Independent Review of the Proposal to Make Personal, Social, Health and Economic(PSHE) Education Statutory. As reported Tuesday by the Independent and the Guardian, the report-- whose recommendations have been accepted by Children's Secretary Ed Balls-- concludes that sex education should become a compulsory subject in both primary and secondary schools. However faith schools will be allowed to supplement materials with information regarding their religious beliefs that, for example, sex outside marriage, homosexuality or contraception is wrong. Pink News yesterday reported that a letter to Secretary Balls from the Pink Triangle Trust contends that if faith schools are allowed to tell students that under their religious views homosexual relationships are morally wrong, this will inevitably lead to an increase in anti-gay bullying. [Thanks to Tips-Q for the lead.]