A local equality activist has warned that failing to introduce modules on gender and sexuality into schools will lead to misinformation among children.
Isolde Carmody argues that the subject needs to be presented in a factual way from a reliable and trusted source.
The new sex education curriculum for Junior Cycle is set to be introduced in September, with the full content of the plan to be announced shortly.
Several catholic schools across the country have objected to plans to include topics such as transgender issues, sexuality and consent in the strategy, claiming it clashes with their ethos.
The Leitrim Pride events co-ordinator believes that children researching the topics by themselves online. can be at risk of accepting false or misleading information.
Speaking to the Joe Finnegan show, she says these subjects should be discussed in a open and safe way:
'As with anything you know if it is not discussed in the classroom then kids are going to find out from unreliable sources. Would you rather that the kids learned about their own sexuality from the internet or would you rather that it was done in a supportive environment that is based on information and compassion and ultimately the kids have rights as well.'
