Minister for Education Norma Foley responds to SPHE ‘whistleblower’ video

Earlier this year, an SPHE book activity depicting an “offensive” portrayal of an Irish family has been removed by the publisher.

The Educational Company of Ireland (Edco) apologised for its depiction of a traditional Irish family in one of its Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) books.

The Health and Wellbeing book, used to teach SPHE in the first three years of secondary school, was updated in 2023 to include a ‘Looking at Difference’ activity.

According to Edco, the new edition was published after a new SPHE specification was added to the curriculum in 2023.

Edco said the new activity sought to “help students understand the importance of diversity in our lives, to introduce students to the Equal Status Acts and to highlight the types of discrimination they cover”.

The publisher said it used “exaggeration and hyperbole to convey the nature and effects of inclusion and bias”.

“On closer inspection, we now appreciate that our approach should have been different and accept that it has caused upset and anger, even though this was not our intention,” a spokesperson said.

“We have taken the decision to replace this activity, and we apologise for any hurt caused.”

Edco said the new activity had not yet been added to the Irish translation of the workbook, originally published in 2017.

The publisher said Health and Wellbeing was published “in line with the specification for SPHE at that time”.

Politicians across the spectrum were united earlier this week in their criticism of the ‘All Different, All Equal’ activity.

In the section, an Irish family is shown standing outside a thatched farmhouse wearing Aran jumpers.

The text notes that the family eats ‘potatoes, bacon and cabbage every day’ and does not like “change or difference”.

It says that they only play GAA sports and only watch Irish TV.

It says that the children ‘get told off” if they mix with people from other religions because “they would be a bad influence on us”.

On the other hand, the book says the mixed-race family loves ‘change and difference’ and depicts them travelling internationally and visiting art galleries.

Aontú campaigner and Limerick assistant principal Eric Nelligan previously told Newstalk this depiction painted Irish people as “backward, dull, strict, and inward-looking”.

“Let’s be honest, if this was a Hollywood film written about Ireland, we would be up in arms,” he said.

When it was put to him that the caricature is designed to teach children what happens if you remain insulated in your own tradition and culture, Mr Nelligan said the authors “crossed a line”.

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