New Zealand's education system is failing in its fundamental duty to lesbian, gay and bisexual students, say the Green Party's spokespeople on Rainbow Issues.

"The ham-fisted and confused attitude that some schools have taken towards school balls, bans on peer support groups, the word 'gay' being used ubiquitously as a synonym in schools for 'pathetic' and restricted access to external agencies like Rainbow Youth all suggest that something is fundamentally wrong," the Greens' LGBT candidates Kevin Hague and Linda Persson say in a statement released today.

"Schools have not had a sufficiently clear and consistent direction from Government about their duties."

The comments come after last week's revelation that some Kiwi students are being prevented from taking their same-sex partners to school balls unless they sign 'contracts' confirming that they are homosexual. The Human Rights Commission warned that such discrimination is unlawful.

The Greens recommend that the Government works actively to create a more supportive social environment, in the same way that it has intervened to counter prejudice against people who experience mental illness. They also suggest that the Government give schools clear direction on their duty to support and protect the human rights of their gay, lesbian and bisexual students.

"Almost every young person is brought up in a society, a family and a school environment that assumes that they are heterosexual," the Green Party members explain. "To acknowledge, firstly, to oneself, and then to others, that this is not their reality is inherently an act of great courage.

"The fact that some secondary schools are not allowing lesbian, gay or bisexual students to form peer support groups, and restricting students' access to groups like Rainbow Youth indicates that the education system is failing in a fundamental duty," they conclude.