The Government’s being urged to end single-sex schools within the next 15 years.
Labour will publish a Bill this week which aims to discontinue gender discrimination in school admissions.
It says the current system is “outdated”, and eliminating single-sex schools would promote consent and tackle toxic masculinity.
Labour’s education spokesperson, Aodhán O’Riordáin, says Ireland lags behind other countries when it comes to co-ed schools.
“We have a legacy issue in some of our schools.
“We are an outlier in terms of world education.
“Outside of the Arab its hard to find a country that is the same as Ireland.
“17% of our primary school children attend single-sex schools and one third of our secondary schools are single-sex.”
Gorey Councillor and school teacher Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin has been reacting to the news and says choice is important for families.
“Schools should mirror the society that we aspire to be.
“When you try to force a one-size-fits-all policy and you try to compel parents that you must choose this or that, then you remove the element of choice which I think contradicts a lot of the talk of diversity and choice.
“But in general I think it is healthier that boys and girls attend mixed schools and agree with the general principle.”
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