Rebecca Stevenson: Compulsory teaching for pupils in Northern Ireland on sex and abortion is 'cultural imposition' of a set of ideas favoured by Whitehall elites

The Northern Ireland Office will also produce regulations about the circumstances when “at the request of a parent, a pupil may be excused from receiving that education, or specified elements of that education”.

The Westminster government has said new curriculum teaching should be delivered in “a factual way that does not advocate, nor oppose, a particular view on the moral and ethical considerations of abortion or contraception”. As someone who was educated in Northern Ireland and now works for a Christian charity that provides analysis of social policy, I have strong concerns about these measures, and the approach the UK government is taking.

It’s saddening to see yet more Westminster overreach into Northern Ireland a few years on from the highly controversial imposition of abortion on the province when our elected legislature was not functioning. This fresh affront to our devolved decision-making is also highly controversial given the sensitive nature of what’s being proposed. There are important cultural and religious considerations in Northern Ireland that make the existing settlement preferable.

At CARE NI we recognise the need to educate and equip young people for the real world, and schools already do an excellent job. The need for this new, UK government-authored curriculum teaching has not been evidenced and key people have not been consulted. Ministers didn’t take the time to consult parents or liaise with educational authorities. An imperialist mindset is on display here that’s deeply patronising.

As the moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Right Reverend Dr John Kirkpatrick, said: “Neither the secretary of state, nor his officials, found time to consult or engage in a meaningful way with any of the key stakeholders within education.” Revd Kirkpatrick also noted that the regulations are based on a flawed judgment that relationships and sex education is “underdeveloped or non-existent”.

The moderator added: “Such judgements were, and are, unfair and unfounded, and do not correspond to the reality of existing legislative or curricular requirements. Nor indeed do they reflect the experience of many schools which have an RSE policy implemented in consultation with parents and governors, and RSE provision in place…The consistent outworking of the CEDAW recommendations by the secretary of state and his predecessors, has been a patronising imposition of a series of measures on the people of Northern Ireland with little or no consideration of their wishes and views.”

If the UK government does intend to force mandatory curriculum teaching on our schools – and in lieu of a functioning Assembly, there is no real way of avoiding this – it must ensure that there is a clear, unilateral right of withdrawal from new curriculum teaching. Christian parents and others in Northern Ireland who have a conscientious objection to aspects of the curriculum must be free to withdraw their children from lessons. Parents must also continue to have full, and transparent access to suggested materials, and be able to shape the decision-making process about what is used. They are still the primary educators of their children – schools only have delegated authority.

The right of teachers who have a Christian faith must also be respected. At present, schools cannot compel a member of staff to take part in lessons that they conscientiously object to – on the basis of religious or philosophical belief. This may be an issue in lessons on abortion in years to come, and teachers in this category must be accommodated. We share the concerns of those in the Catholic Maintained sector that these regulations could criminalise teachers and schools aligned to views that are different to the government-imposed curriculum. The secretary of state must proceed with caution and ensure that a culture of silencing and intimidation doesn’t grow up against teachers wishing to abide by their consciences.

We would question the UK government’s claim that teaching can be done in an entirely neutral way. Its approach seems designed to achieve cultural imposition – the entrenchment of a particular worldview and set of ideas favoured by Whitehall elites, but not shared by many in NI. The people of Northern Ireland deserve respect for their traditions, culture and religious beliefs, and freedom to make their own decisions on issues affecting them. It is regrettable that UK officials don’t appear willing to do this.

Dr Rebecca Stevenson is a policy officer at Christian Action Research and Education (CARE)