Government Urged To End Single Sex Schools

Monday, 7 February 2022 10:02

By Caoimhe Harney

Bill to be published by the Labour Party.

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It says the current system is "outdated", and eliminating single-sex schools would promote consent and tackle toxic masculinity.

Ireland has a relatively high proportion of single-sex schools by international standards, which is regarded as a a legacy of the denominational control of the education system.

The Labour Party will publish a Private Member’s Bill which seeks to end gender discrimination in school admission.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD, the party’s education spokesman, said single-sex education was an “anomaly” for a new generation of parents.

He said moves to promote consent and tackle “toxic masculinity” make more sense when boys and girls are educated together.

“We’re working to put a greater emphasis on gender mix in politics, sport and business – yet this is the one area that we haven’t addressed,” he said.
Labour's education spokesperson, Aodhán O'Riordáin, says Ireland lags behind other countries when it comes to co-ed schools:

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