Efforts Needed To Empower Teachers On Sex Education

A new study suggests that teachers need more efforts to deliver quality sex education in Rwanda. The study says that there's a need to integrate social and cultural aspects of sexual reproductive health in teachers' training.

In an effort to make Rwandans more responsible in their sexual and reproductive right, a new study conducted by International Medical Cooperation Committee (IMCC) and Medical Students' Association of Rwanda (MEDSAR), identified challenges in carrying out effective sex education in primary and secondary schools. The New Times reports that the new study finds teachers are more focused on the anatomy, instead of focusing on the physiology of the reproductive health.

The WISE approach supports the institutionalization of comprehensive sex education in public schools: https://t.co/ihTBpclxbT #ASH2014

— VAWnet (@VAWnet) June 25, 2014

Teachers To Carry Out Sexual Education In Rwandan Schools

The study reveals that improper sex education can have adverse effects on the society. The right knowledge about family planning and reproductive health can minimize cases of sexually transmitted diseases (HIV), more common in younger generations. Proper knowledge can also control population and cases of teenage pregnancies.

According to Gerard Mbabazi, the president of MEDSAR, there's a need to train teachers to implement quality sex education in Rwanda. These will hold true to both those who are in the field and the universities. He stressed the social and cultural aspects of sexual reproductive health in the execution of effective sex education.

The Comprehensive Approach

A new curriculum has been put into place recently and will be rolled out in schools in the 2016 academic year. Under the new curriculum, a comprehensive approach to sex education is going to be adapted, a previous report from The New Times says.

According to the report, the new curriculum will focus on the development of well-being and the prevention of health problems. The deputy heads of schools across the country have already been trained in the program.

More so, the new curriculum will give more emphasis to physical education, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health that will tackle an array of sexually transmitted diseases. The comprehensive approach hopes to improve an individual's take on sexual awareness. To know more about the comprehensive approach, take a look at the video below: