- Young people are getting the wrong information about sex and sexuality in schools, research finds.
- Incorrect information on sex and sexuality leads to teenage pregnancy and school dropouts.
- Conservative religious and cultural views, held mainly by the older generation, influence messages around sex that young people receive.
Young people in Africa are still getting the wrong messages about sexual health and reproduction in schools.
This, according to new research, leads to high rates of unwanted teenage pregnancies, school dropouts, teenage marriages, unsafe abortions and HIV infection.
The early findings of the School's Out initiative released on Wednesday showed that messaging around sex, sexuality and health in schools across the continent was based on teachers' beliefs rather than fact.
The research was done in eight African countries, including South Africa, Uganda and Zambia by the Human Sciences Research Council and civil society organisations.
School's Out investigated the capacity of schools to serve as places that enable young people to understand their sexual and reproductive health rights and linking pupils to effective health services.
"In all countries, there were significant shortcomings, both in terms of the availability of quality sexuality education at schools and the provision of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services. Overall, the gap between pledges made by national leaders and performance on the ground is vast, although we saw some variation among countries," said the Human Sciences Research Council and School's Out principal investigator Professor Finn Reygan.
Reygan said the study found that some of the barriers for young people to access sexual and reproductive health rights include:
Many teachers are ill-prepared to present the sexuality education curriculum, and few countries have a standardised manual to guide their teachers;
The absence of teacher support for young people's sexual and reproductive health discourages them from exercising their rights and using available services;
There are no mechanisms to hold teachers accountable for delivering sexuality education in a manner that respects the inherent rights of all young people; and
Schools are often hostile and inaccessible environments where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth and young people with disabilities face discrimination or effective exclusion.
"Across all participating countries, the whole approach to sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services for young people is shaped by conservative religious and cultural views held mainly by the older generation.
"But this approach is failing the youth. It does not begin to address the realities that young people have to contend with," said Steve Letsike, human rights advocate and School's Out project partner.
The research showed that many adults' perceptions of sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health programmes were based on misinformation and prejudice rather than facts.
"There are widespread perceptions that sexual and reproductive health programmes have no moral foundation and that they encourage irresponsible sex among young people.
"We need to take the time to explain to communities the positive values that guide a rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health and the rationale for relying on education and proven healthcare interventions to protect young people," said Reygan.
He said teaching young people about sex and sexuality was also a way of protecting them.
"At the end of the day, we are also trying to prevent the things that parents actually fear for their children - unwanted pregnancy, the risks of abortion, and being trapped in poverty by the burdens of premature parenthood."
For the South African context, the researchers recommend that there be a policy audit on current disability policies and also work on improving inclusion of sexual and reproductive health programmes in those policies.
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