What, and how to teach sex education

By Fredrick Womakuyu

NALUNKUUMA, (not real name), 14, was a pupil at Bat Valley Primary School last year. Like the rest of the 9019 pupils in the school, Nalunkuuma received sex education lessons from their teachers and peer educators so that they learn about their bodies. This equipped them with life skills to enable them make informed decisions on sexuality matters. So when her father attempted to rape her, Nalunkuuma reported the matter to the school and later to the Police.

“If that young girl had not been given sex education, she would probably have kept quiet when her father tried to prey on her. Because they receive sex education, our children are learning and are making informed decisions,” says Sarah Baziwe, the Bat Valley headteacher.

With sex education going on in schools, two questions come to mind: What type of sex education is imparted into the children? How is it imparted?

The education ministry has designed topics on sex education for schools to teach. “They include anatomy, physiology, sexually-transmitted diseases, contraception, pregnancy and delivery,” Alice Musana, the Senior Woman Teacher, Mbale Primary School, says.

In Reproduction, pupils are taught about their body parts and how they function
“The boys need to know that their penis and testicles will start to increase in size and the scrotum will change colour. His receptions will become more frequent during puberty, and he may have nocturnal emissions, or wet dreams,” Musana says. “He may experience a growth spurt and his voice will begin to change.”
Musana says a girl will begin having menstrual periods at some point; a change that means that she can become pregnant. “She will have to also know that her body, including her breasts, will be developing and could change more slowly or quickly than her friends’,” she adds.

Family planning. Baziwe says if children are taught about contraception, pregnancy rates will decline. “At primary level, abstinence is promoted but we also teach about condoms, especially to the Primary Seven pupils. This is because their body parts are experiencing changes.”

Sexually transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS
Martin Mwende, a Science teacher, says the pupils are taught that if they engage in sexual activities, they are likely to get infected with not only sexually-transmitted infections like syphilis, but also the deadly HIV/AIDS.

Ethics/morals
Mwende says they also teach pupils to delay sex until they are married. “We encourage them to shun cultures that encourage early marriage and embrace those that practice the right age of consent.

Gender, children’s rights and responsibility
“We tell pupils that both girls and boys have a right to an education and should shun any form of activity like early marriage that will disrupt this,” says Ibrahim Lule, the Kololo High School headteacher.

How teachers impart sex education

Baziwe says when teaching about sex, the teacher is both a listener and an educator, and the level of the class matters. “Pupils below Primary Four need to only learn about the body parts and no diagrams. “But for Primary Five and above, we need to discuss honestly with them topics such as penetration, orgasm, ejaculation, sexually-transmitted diseases and masturbation,” she adds.

The teacher listens attentively, has to be honest, assuming nothing, says Musana. She says at their school, they relate Religious Education lessons to sex education to encourage pupils to learn good morals. “The Bible discourages sex for unmarried people. When we teach our pupils about this, they learn to abstain,” she adds.

Baziwe stresses that sex education should also be handled during assembly and other public gatherings. “We teach them at parade or general assemblies. In such gatherings, they also learn and encourage others,” she adds. “We also use dance, music and drama to impart sex education messages to the pupils. Teachers and pupils take part in plays and literature encouraging sex education.”

The senior woman teacher should counsel and guide the pupils. “Here pupils are taken on, one by one. When they are separated, they can freely speak out about their concerns.
This is the time when we also hear cases of attempted rape by their own relatives and how we can intervene,” she says.

Use banners, sign posts and posters to drive sex education messages to pupils.
“Good and well written messages like ‘Abstain until marriage’ or ‘Delay sex; AIDS kills’ can help.

Sex education is a sensitisation partnership that should be developed between the teachers and the parents.