Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
278. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to introduce additional measures through the school curriculum to deal with issues in relation to minors who gamble (details supplied); if she will outline what measures are in place presently, if any; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39723/23]
View answerSchools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues, including drugs, alcohol and gambling. This is mainly done through the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme.
SPHE forms part of the mandatory Wellbeing area of learning at Junior Cycle. Wellbeing in Junior Cycle is about young people feeling confident, happy, healthy and connected, and it is one of the principles that underpins Junior Cycle education.
An updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification was published by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in May 2023 and is being rolled out for first years in all schools from this month. It places a strong focus on the development of important life skills that young people need growing up in a fast changing and complex world. The learning outcomes of the Making Healthy Choices strand in the updated specification include that students should be able to "discuss societal, cultural and economic influences affecting young people when it comes to making healthy choices about smoking, alcohol and other addictive substances and behaviours, and how harmful influences can be overcome in real-life situations". In the specification’s Glossary of Key Terms, addictive behaviours are defined as including “gaming, gambling and social media addictions” .
Work is ongoing to update the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle. In the course of consultation on the Background Paper and Brief for the redevelopment of Senior Cycle SPHE, participants commonly talked about addictive substances and behaviours such as alcohol use and gambling and the need for students to be enabled to recognise addiction and the impact of addiction on emotional wellbeing, on decision-making and on family and friends. This learning is addressed in the draft specification which is currently open for consultation until 18 October. I encourage everyone to submit their views to this consultation before then, which can be done via the NCCA’s website, www.ncca.ie
