The British government is reportedly set to launch an investigation into a secondary school after a teacher was recorded scolding two girls who refused to accept that their classmate could “identify as a cat” and that there are more than two genders.
Rye College, a state secondary school in East Sussex, England is facing a government probe following revelations that teachers and school officials are indulging children who claim to be cats or other non-human identities, according to The Telegraph.
The school came under heavy scrutiny following the release of an audio recording in which a teacher at Rye was heard reprimanding two girls as “despicable” for denying that it is possible for a fellow classmate to actually be a cat or accepting the idea that there are more than two genders.
According to the broadsheet, which is most closely aligned with the governing Conservative Party, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan is understood to have launched an investigation into the school. A source, described as close to the minister, said: “Teachers should not be teaching contested ideology as fact. They must have due regard to safeguarding if a pupil identifies as an animal.”
While Rye College has received much attention over the past few days in the British press, the issue of schools allowing children to identify as they choose, is not a localised issue, with the Telegraph reporting that other schools have been found to allow children to identify as horses, dinosaurs, and even a moon.
Commenting on the state of modern education in Britain, Brexit leader Nigel Farage said: “Our kids are being poisoned by the intolerance coming from teachers. It’s a modern day form of fascism.”
Mr Farage warned that the battle over education, which he noted is also a problem across the English-speaking world, will be the most important political battle over the coming years.
“If we are turning out indoctrinated children, not capable of free thinking, not capable of understanding that different people have different points of view and that should be fine, if we can’t stop that, then who knows where we will be in 20 years time”.
The government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to introduce new guidance for schools, which will reportedly tell schools that they should not allow children to identify as a different gender without parental consent and to stop allowing children who claim to be transgender to participate in sports of the opposite sex.
A spokesman for the prime minister said on Wednesday that schools should not be teaching “contested opinions as fact” and that the “personal views” of teachers on issues surrounding gender should be kept out of lessons.
“It’s important parents and carers are reassured that children aren’t being influenced by personal views of those teaching them. Any example that strays from this would be wrong and we would expect headteachers to act,” the Downing Street spokesman said.
However, many are questioning why the Conservative government, which has been in power for over a decade, has so far failed to mandate such restrictions by law, and indeed why it is opting to introduce “guidance” rather than legislation now, despite having a commanding majority in the House of Commons.