Background
Much has been talked about empowering our children to be future leaders. In fact, we have had numerous programmes designed for inculcating values in our youths through school education. However, programmes such as sexuality education have been either not coordinated well or it lacked comprehensive orientation. Even though we had successfully designed guidelines on this topic, it seems not much has been achieved. Developing positive behaviors towards values encompassing sexuality among the students and children are critical, and it is imperative to have a more practical sexuality education curriculum.
Recognizing the need for such a curriculum, the Ministry of Education launched the life skill based-comprehensive sexuality education (LSE) in 2008. In fact, it was part of a curriculum-based education (CBE). The programme aimed at helping children and youths to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, enabling them towards realizing a positive understanding of their sexuality (Lhaden, 2021). Indeed, this was designed primarily to enable them in developing a positive view of their sexuality in the context of their emotional and social needs. The LSE caters to ten life skills including skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, self-awareness, coping with emotion and decision-making. While these skills do not indicate directly sexuality topics, it is understood implicitly. For example, using these skills, children aged above Eight were supposed to be taught on the topics such as, puberty, teenage pregnancy, and sexual harassment.
Teaching sexuality topics has been viewed with mixed acceptance. For example, a review of the LSE revealed some 36.5% of the teachers were not comfortable teaching sexuality topics (Lhaden, 2021). It is critical that teachers must be trained well on the topics—as most of the children and youths learn from school. Therefore, Paro College of Education has launched a non-credited 30-hour CSE module; however, Samtse College of Education discontinued the programme in accordance with a Royal University’s academic rule.
Rationale
According to UNESCO, only about 34% of the world’s “young people ” can demonstrate accurately about prevention and transmission of HIV; likewise, in some countries 2 in 3 girls do not know what is happening when they first experience their menstruation (UNESCO, 2018). Sexuality plays an integral role in human development. The Europen Council believes that a comprehensive sexuality education can help fight against gender violence, abuse and discrimination, and be a tool for diversity (Commissioner for Human Rights, 2020).
In Bhutan, there has been increased reports on teenage pregnancies and sexual harassment. For example, in 2020 alone, the National Referral Hospital recorded 45 teenage pregnancy and 79 sexual assault cases involving minors (Lhaden, 2021). Surprisingly, on many occasions, accused perpetrators were found to be a family member. Therefore, institutions such as RENEW supports comprehensive sexuality education—as it would help children and youths to understand that sexual assaults by family members or by other persons is unacceptable, that they realize rights. Moreover, there is also a need for a comprehensive sexuality education within the education curriculum due to increased trends of LGBTQI around the globe and in Bhutan (Commissioner for Human Rights, 2020; Lhaden, 2021).
Finally, according to a quasi-survey conducted on Telegram Survey tool 64% of the 44 respondents did not receive any formal sexuality educational lessons in their middle and high schooling years. The one-question survey asked a mix of post graduate students including from Paro College of Education, and diploma and postgraduate trainers from Royal Institute of Management. Most of the discussions, therefore, point out the need for a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. The Royal Education Council revised the CSE in 2019 and it is hoped this will have better impacts compared to the past.
Way Forward
Khaled Hosseini, the Afghan-American Novelist in his 2007 Book, A Thousand Splendid Suns says that, “Marriage can wait, education cannot” (P.144). Indeed, the time is ripe for a comprehensive sexuality education in Bhutan’s education curriculum. Following are some of the possible ways to realize a comprehensive sexuality education:
1. The Ministry of Education must make sexuality education comprehensive and available in practice for students and children aged 10 and above. The government must realize that sexuality education improves knowledge on sexuality, and that children and youths realize their attitude towards sexual and reproductive health positively (Commissioner for Human Rights, 2020).
2. Government must enable relevant trainers among the teachers, especially Guidance and School Counsellors to communicate with children and youths based on gender-focused programmes and not gender-blind (where either gender is absent). This will help reduce stigmatization of sexuality education.
3. The Ministry of Education must collaborate with critical stakeholders such as, RENEW, NCWC, RBP, and even CWC to bring impactful school-based programmes that improve parents and teachers’ involvement in corroborating sexuality education. Sexuality education has been found to have a major impact on the children and youths through such blending of programmes.
4. The Royal University of Bhutan and the MoE must work out to allow CSE curriculum with ungraded modules on both Samtse and Paro College of Education.
References
Commissioner for Human Rights (2020, July 21). Comprehensive sexuality education protects children and helps build a safer, inclusive society. Human Rights Comment. Retrieved from https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/comprehensive-sexuality-education-protects-children-and-helps-build-a-safer-inclusive-society
Hosseini, K. (2018). A Thousand Splendid Suns. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
Lhaden, Y. (2021, March 26). Call for comprehensive sexuality education to be included in school curriculum. Kuensel Online. Retrieved from https://kuenselonline.com/call-for-comprehensive-sexuality-education-to-be-included-in-curriculum/
UNESCO (2018, February 15). Why comprehensive sexuality education is important. Retrieved from https://en.unesco.org/news/why-comprehensive-sexuality-education-important
