The Importance of Intensive Sexuality Education in Schools
Rita is a 19-year-old young mother who, because of pregnancy, had to leave school before completing her advanced level of high school. She was highly interested in school, but due to family issues caused by the divorce of her parents, she was left to live in a child-headed family with her brothers. As the only girl among the siblings, Rita was left with no one to talk to regarding sexuality education issues. It is therefore not surprising that she was pushed into engaging in sexual behaviors at a tender age. The limited sex education in schools didn’t help to improve the situation.
Although Rita’s parents were divorced, it was their responsibility to provide for their children. However, her mother did not spare time to talk to her daughter about sex education. At school, if Rita’s teachers had created an environment which would allow students to share with them or seek their guidance on sexual and reproductive health issues, things could have been different.
Fortunately, Rita was given an opportunity to go back to school through a women empowerment organization, and completed high school with good grades, even amidst a number of challenges, including the health challenges of her baby and the failure of her father to provide scholastic materials on time. During her vacation, she took a secretarial studies course, and was referred to a secretarial bureau in the suburbs of Kampala where she worked to earn a living for nine months. It was at this point that Rita’s dad gained interest in her education again. Rita is now preparing to join university, through her father’s support.
In Uganda, where Rita lives, a third of women have given birth before the age of 18.
A large number of girls in Africa have to go through a life similar to that of Rita, and in the worst situations, do not get a chance to go back to school to fulfill their dreams. They give birth to children, end up in child marriages, and find themselves in poor positions where they can hardly provide the basic needs to their children, who usually end up in the same situation as their mothers.
A study ‘Health Consequences of Child Marriage in Africa,’ by Nawal M. Nour, shows that over 50% of the girls in Uganda get married before 18, while according to Adolescent pregnancy; a Review of the Evidence, a report by UNFPA, there are 40 countries where 20 percent or more of women aged 20 to 24 had given birth before the age 18. Of the 15 countries where the figure is over 30 percent, 14 are in sub-Saharan Africa. The highest rates observed were in Niger, where the rate was 51 percent. In Uganda, where Rita lives, a third of women had given birth before the age of 18.
There is urgent need to intensify sexuality education in schools, because many parents are very busy at work that they at times fail to fulfill the other needs of their children, after providing for their meals, and school fees. This means that many children don’t get a sex education from their parents.
Additionally, within the African cultural setting, parents are often uncomfortable when it comes to discussing sexuality issues with their children. In Buganda, for example, this responsibility is usually left to the aunties, commonly termed as “senga”, but they usually only chip in when the girl is being prepared for marriage, and the information provided is just useful enough to make her a good wife throughout marriage. These youth are left in a dilemma, because they lack confidence to share sexual and reproductive health issues with their teachers, because of a fear of expulsion if school authorities assume they’re sexually active. Instead of stigmatizing sex, teachers and school authorities should hold group counseling sessions and provide a conducive environment for youth to discuss such issues with counselors, teachers, and even among their peers. These activities could help to reduce the level of teenage pregnancies.
In Uganda, the majority of schools are only comfortable talking about abstinence, because they think teaching condom use encourages children to engage in sex activities. Abstinence as a means of preventing early sexual involvement should be preached, but alongside other methods like the use of contraceptives. Youth need intensive knowledge and information on reproductive health, to empower them to make informed decisions about their health and sexual behavior. Preaching abstinence alone leaves a risk of youth engaging in sexual behaviors in hiding, and this puts them at risk of not only unwanted pregnancies, but also exposure to sexually transmitted infections, which includes HIV/AIDS.
Youth need intensive knowledge and information on reproductive health, to empower them to make informed decisions about their health and sexual behavior.
Early sexual involvement increases the risks of teenage pregnancies which may also lead to abortion and its effects: school drop out and early marriages which sometimes lead to domestic violence.
So many girls end up with regrets for failing to fulfill their dreams and a number of them do not get a second chance to continue with their education like Rita did. She is now preparing to join university and is part of a youth group which holds talks on adolescent sexual reproductive health in schools and shares her story to encourage girls to delay engaging in sexual activities while in school.
