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School curriculum on relationship education comes under pressure in UK

Thursday, 19 January 2023 6:47 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 19 January 2023 6:47 PM ]

Robert Carter
Press TV, London

Could the UK witness a renewed push by religious communities to remove controversial Relationship and Sex Education, also known as RSE, lessons in British schools?

It appears the appetite is huge, after an online petition on a UK government website rocketed to well over 130,000 signatures in just a few days.

This petition focused on just one aspect of RSE which worries many parents, LGBT relationships information; a lifestyle which contradicts religious beliefs. However, a growing protest movement wants to remove RSE entirely from schools as they believe it should be parents who teach kids about relationships, not teachers.

RSE is currently mandatory in British schools, teaching kids about relationships and sex education, including same-gender relations.

The lessons have been marred with controversy, sparking Muslim-majority parent protests as far back as 2019. Parents alleged their kids are being "indoctrinated" by secular worldviews and what they call "LGBT propaganda."

A local activist, Shakeel Afsar, has explained why he thinks the petition had performed so well.

So far, the protests have largely received negative coverage with establishment refusing to budge on the RSE curriculum. Activists believe this uncompromising stance could boil over to more parent protests in 2023.

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