We have two daughters at our local primary school and by God’s grace they’re thriving – thanks to an excellent head teacher and a committed staff team. Reflecting Newham, the school is richly diverse with over 90% of pupils coming from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds. Nearly three quarters of the children have English as an additional language, many being at early stages of learning the indigenous tongue. Our daughters’ friends reflect this cultural diversity of course, which gives them a great social foundation for living in the 21st century global village.
Following the Macdonald review and thanks to Ed Balls’ decisions (here), Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) is now high up the educational agenda with significant changes pending. My wife and I have already assessed the current SRE at our girls’ school and it seems sensible, sensitive to cultural diversity and not in need of change.
But UNESCO’s approach to SRE has shocked me rather more than UK government policies. This authoritative United Nations body has published an ‘evidence-based’ report ‘International Guidelines on Sexuality Education’ (here). Its intention is to influence “educational, health and other relevant authorities in the development and implementation of school-based sexuality education programmes and materials… (The report) will have immediate relevance for… education ministers… curriculum developers, school principals and teachers.”
On page 54 this august body – drawing on ‘evidence’ from diverse cultures around the globe – tells us that learning objectives for children aged five to eight (yes, five to eight) should include the key ideas that “touching and rubbing one’s genitals is called masturbation; some people masturbate and some do not; masturbation is not harmful but should be done in private”!
I looked at our daughters aged seven and eight chattering away as they played happily together and I felt a primordial protective rage well up within me. How dare they try to soil my girls’ innocence and childhood with such grubby, sordid and contentious ‘education’? Teach them about masturbation? My fury hasn’t yet fully subsided.
Doesn’t every father of a five to eight year old feel the same anger when confronted with this official, inappropriate and depraved trollop?
Or perhaps the better ones amongst us manage simply to laugh… or cry.
November 12th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Alan, the christian supremest. go and read Ezekiel 23 to your daughters. u think your bible is any less grubby and sordid? belongs on the top shelf along with the rubbish the christian majority government with their christian heritage is bringing out.
“Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled. (Ezekiel 23)
November 12th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Er, Bob, I probably woudn’t read them that bit when I read them a story just before bed as it’s not for young minds.
But it’s certainly appropriate for someone like you.
BTW, what’s a ’supremest’? Is it ’superman’? You’re too kind!
Alan
November 12th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
ur right, its pornographic. give them a few years and then u can read it to them as u put them to bed.
“He shall lie all night between my breasts…. His left hand under my head, and his right doth embrace me… Thy young breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies… Come, blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. My beloved put his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. Thy stature is like a palm tree, and thy breasts are clusters of grapes. I will go up the palm tree, and grasp the boughs. I am a wall, and my breasts are as towers.”
u sick man
November 13th, 2009 at 12:20 am
Hey Bob, you’ve got that wrong too. I’m in good health at present – thanks be to God.
Alan
February 8th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
Alan – of course you are right to be furious. I am Chairmn of the National Mens Council of Ireland and CEO of the Family Rights and Responsibilities Institute of Ireland which we started with the group Mothers at Home. The Insytistute has done a lot of valuable work on the rights of parents in the education and schooling of their children.
We have published a report, “Parental Rights and the Law in the matter of Schooling. Enrolment and the teaching of Religion/Morality; Social, Personal and Health Education/Relationship Sexuality Education; Civics, Social and Political Education” which is applicable to the UK as well as Ireland.
Clearly parents have the right for the school to act in matters of social. personal, moral, religious and health eduaction as if IT WERE AN EXTENSION OF THE HOME.
Interestingly we have developed the concept that for a school to act in contempt of a parent’s wishes constitutes BULLYING and everyone agrees that must be bad!
I will keep in touch with your web site and would be keen to be put on your mailing list and to get together to share our calling.
God bless, Roger Eldridge
Chairman, National Mens Council of Ireland
Executive Director, Family Rights and Responsibilities Institute of Ireland
National Office: Knockvicar, Boyle, Co. Roscommon
Website: http://www.family-men.com Email: familymen@eircom.net
Telephones: 00353 (0) 719667138
February 10th, 2010 at 1:36 am
Hi Roger,
I’d be pleased to get together. Do you come to London at all?
Alan