Four years after it was first mooted, Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) remains a contentious issue. But, despite loud noises from a small but vociferous group of conservatives, all the signs are that the vast majority of parents welcome the introduction of RSE into Irish schools.

Liberals, meanwhile, are concerned that some schools are ducking the issue and ignoring RSE. They also argue that, if RSE is taught as part of the religious curriculum at primary level, the whole point of the RSE programme will be lost.

It was back in 1994 that the then Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, established an expert advisory group to provide school guidelines on the introduction of RSE. The report provided the basis of the NCCA's RSE programme. The NCCA recommends that RSE should be delivered within schools' existing social, personal and health education (SPHE) programmes. "SPHE deals with issues such as self-esteem, assertiveness, communication and decision-making skills - all of which can contribute to the effectiveness of the RSE programme," the guidelines say.

The great irony about the anti-RSE outburst is that many schools have been running very good RSE programmes for years - at both primary and second levels. Other schools, however, have been doing nothing. The fact that RSE is now to be time-tabled should ensure that all students at both primary and second-level, will now take RSE.

Every school in the country has been requested to draw up a policy on RSE. To date, more than 70 parents' information meetings have been organised by local education centres. Some 20,000 primary school teachers have received three days RSE training, while 1,600 second-level teachers have been given up to six days training. School managers and boards of management have also received training.

Reaction to training and information has been positive, confirms Nora Brennan, training support co-ordinator for the RSE Training Support Service for Schools, Drumcondra Education Centre, Dublin. "We've had a very positive reponse to our information seminars for boards of management and school managers," she says. "It has proved an effective way of encouraging key people to initiate the process . . . the feedback from our trainers is that there is an overwhelmingly positive response to RSE on the part of parents. Most are fully behind the introduction of RSE." It's vital, though, that the RSE curriculum is presented to parents in order to avoid misunderstandings, she says. "When that happens people are very positive."

However, there are concerns that some schools are avoiding the introduction of RSE. Little hard information is available, but Brennan aims to rectify that. "We are sending out questionaires and we should soon have information about the state of play on a national level," she promises.

If there are concerns about RSE among conservative elements, there are also worries among liberals. "I welcome a modern RSE programme," says David Alvey, secretary of the Campaign to Separate Church and State. "But the fact that RSE is to be done within a school's ethos means that it can be watered down and there's a danger that it will become meaningless." Alvey is critical of the Minister for Education and Science, Micheal Martin, who, he says, is anxious to avoid conflict with the bishops at all costs and has welcomed the Church's document, RSE in Catholic Schools.

"The question of an integrated curriculum at primary level is a major problem for me," he says. "The fact that RSE will be integrated with religious instruction is extremely unsatisfactory for parents who are non-practising Catholics."