Schools on the spot over illegal sex education
What you need to know:
Curriculum developer says the lessons do not meet accepted moral and education standards
- Comprehensive sex education teaches children on masturbation, homosexuality, abortions, and access to contraceptives, sex as a right, transgender.
Schools teaching comprehensive sex education risk disciplinary action from the government after the curriculum developer on Tuesday termed the content in the lessons immoral and unapproved.
Dr Julius Jwan, the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) director, said the materials being used in those schools do not meet the accepted education and moral standards.
“We have never approved such material to be used in our schools. As we speak, quality assurance officers across the country are on the ground investigating the issue,” said Dr Jwan.
Dr Jwan said the government rolled out the competency-based curriculum this year after piloting it for two years.
ADOLESCENCE
He said, the new curriculum has all the sex education that learners need to know.
“The new curriculum tackles all the stages of growth from tender age to adolescence, and any teaching materials that are not approved by KICD are illegal and schools must reject them,” said Dr Jwan.
Pius Mutisya, the KICD director of quality assurance and standards, said they have already received instructions from the Ministry of Education to ensure that those materials are not taught in schools.
“The ministry ordered a crackdown on these schools and all our quality assurance team is investigating the extent to which the materials have been sneaked in schools, and action will be taken against such schools,” said Dr Mutisya.
On Tuesday, human rights activists under the umbrella group CitizenGo called on the Ministry of Education to ensure the comprehensive sex education programme is stopped in schools.
CitizenGo Africa coordinator Ann Kioko says over 50 primary and secondary schools in several counties, among them Nairobi, Kakamega, Bungoma, Siaya, Homa Bay, Kisumu and Kajiado, have incorporated the comprehensive education in their lessons.
MASTURBATION
“The content of this curriculum is chilling, it teaches children on masturbation, homosexuality, abortions, and access to contraceptives, sex as a right, transgender, erosion of parental roles and promiscuity at a tender age,” said Ms Kioko.
Sex education has been a controversial topic in the country, with parents and education stakeholders condemning it.
Psychologist Christabell Hoka termed the education as immoral, saying it introduces children to bad habits at a tender age. “We cannot have children learn on how to be gay, masturbate or use contraceptives at a tender age, we should instead teach children on abstinence,” she said.
