Sex Education Curriculum in Zambia Under Review After Rejection
Sex Education Curriculum in Zambia Under Review After Rejection
In September 2020, the Zambian public became aware of the plan by the government to introduce a Comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum from grade 5 to 12 in all Zambian schools. As soon as the news became known, there was a widespread calls, led by the church and traditional leaders to do away with the subject.
The plan by the government came after an alarming news story that estimated that over 1,700 school-going girls in the Eastern part of Zambia became pregnant between January and September 2020.
I talked to two teachers, Violet Mwaba and Magomero Chisenga of Chitambi Day Secondary school in Kasama and Mansa College of Education in Mansa, respectively, to find out their experiences as teachers who have encountered the subject. I also talked to a community health professor at the University of Zambia, Joseph Mumba Zulu. National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) Executive Director, Aaron Chansa, gave a brief statement.
Comprehensive sexuality education equips children and young adults with knowledge of their bodies and critical information on pregnancy prevention, STIs and HIV. For now, the Zambian government has decided to revise the contents of the subject to suit the conservative majority in Zambia.
Written and produced by: Fiske Niyirongo – a Zambian writer of both nonfiction and fiction. She is a 2020 PenPen African Writers Resident. Follower her on Instagram
Header Illustration: David Mucnai