The Report of the Expert Advisory Group on mandatory Relationships and Sexuality Education was published in July 1994. It suggested that the committee engaged in the consultation process for policy development would include teachers, parents and management. At second level additional members might include the chaplain, religion teacher and school counsellor. The committee could consult with students as appropriate.

Originally it was estimated that "the entire consultation process, while being thorough, would not take longer than a school term." Almost four years later many schools are still struggling to produce a written policy statement setting out "the aims of the programme, its organisation within the school and how it will meet the needs of students, parents and teachers."

The current position is set out in the RSE News circulated to schools by the Department of Education and Science last February. The proposed membership of the policy committees is six - two representatives from parents, teachers and boards of management. Although schools are free to form bigger or smaller groups according to their size and needs, consulting with students in the formulation of policy is not specifically mentioned in this document.

This is a serious omission. Students have a valuable contribution to make if given the opportunity. If teachers and parents are willing to listen to young people they may find themselves challenged to examine their own moral values. For example most young people believe that it is sexually responsible to have `safe sex'. They want to be educated about birth control. This is a contentious issue that cannot be ignored by the policy makers.

Teachers and parents involved in the consultation process should talk to students in order to decide on a school policy regarding under-age sex. To illustrate how necessary this is let me give you an insight into the mindset of young people who were asked to comment on an article I wrote for the Advice Box: Why coercion is the hidden factor in sexuality for today's teens" - March 3rd.

A Dublin teacher asked his sixth form students in a a coeducational school to read the article and express their views. He asked if they knew that a 17-year-old boy was "failed" for having sex with an under-age girl; would this worry them? Here are some of their replies.

No. People will still have under-age sex. It's not worrying. There is a slim chance of getting caught.

I don't think it has scared many teenagers although they might become more aware.

Yes, maybe.

No, because the chance of the police finding out is very slim.

One girl explained that "girls are more inclined to give in to peer pressure and `do it' so they look `cool' and so the boy won't think she is stupid".

Every parent and teacher knows that young people today are bombarded with sexual images and innuendo from advertisers who use sex to sell products. It would be foolish if not irresponsible to ignore how teenagers are influenced by this imagery. Many under-age young people have sex because the wrongly believe that all their friends are doing it. They get this information from newspapers, television, music videos, magazines and books.

Some young people view video nasties behind their parents' backs. These treat women as sexual objects and portray violent and casual sex as the norm. Others watch afternoon chat shows in the company of a parent or childminder. Listening to discussions on oral sex and homosexuality and seeing tearful participants give graphic accounts of degrading sex are bound to have an effect on impressionable young minds.

There is no denying the radical changes in moral values which have occurred in the past 20 years. We live in a permissive society where most second-level students are better educated sexually than their parents. They have first-hand knowledge of techniques and sexual positions gleaned from illustrated magazines that are readily available from newsagents. In developing RSE policies it is necessary to acknowledge that some students are more knowledgeable about their own needs for sex education than many parents.

What a tragedy if adults fail to listen to them. Those involved in policy making cannot deal with adolescent problems unless they know what the problems are. Student involvement will ensure that programmes are not just based on theory but are relevant to the real life experiences of students. Schools that wish to have effective RSE programmes that promote a healthy attitude to sexuality and relationships must have a policy of consulting students.

Carmel Wynne is a writer and teacher of RSE.