Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was cited as saying, “Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age.”
According to new government recommendations that are expected to be released on Thursday, schools in England would not be allowed to teach gender identity and sex education to students younger than nine.
It comes after worries over the curriculum taught to elementary school students, according to a statement from the ministry of education.
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was cited as saying, “Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age.”
He continued, “That’s why I was appalled to learn that this was occurring in our classrooms the previous year.”
In addition to a ban on sex education for under nines, the “contested theory of gender identity will not be taught”, the ministry added.
The move follows a landmark review which last month urged “extreme caution” on prescribing masculinising or feminising hormone treatments for young people grappling with gender identity issues.
The new proposals will also include additional content on suicide prevention and the risks of viewing content promoting self harm online.
The proposals will be subject to a nine-week consultation and will be statutory once finalised.
AFP