Don’t expunge sex education from basic school curricula – NFF cautions Minister, NERDC

Don’t expunge sex education from basic school curricula – NFF cautions Minister, NERDC

From Sola Ojo, Kaduna

The Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF) has cautioned the Minister for Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu and the Nigeria Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) against expunging sexual education curricula from Nigerian basic schools.

To this Forum, the Minister’s directive to that effect was ill-advised and stems from a place of ignorance of the value of sex education as a right and vital aspect of health education and holistic well-being of school-aged young Nigerians.

The Forum in a statement through its Communication / Programme Assistant, Adaeze Ekpunobi described access to sex education in school as a “basic human right and a core public health principle”. 

She said providing accurate, incremental, age-and developmentally appropriate sex education was imperative for young people to be protected from the harmful effects of deviant sexual behaviours.

$Maintaining sex education in school curricula in Nigeria will play an important role in preparing young people for a safe, productive, fulfilling life in a world where HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, illegal abortion, gender-based violence and gender inequality still pose serious risks to their well-being. 

“Expunging sex education from the Nigerian school curricula will only exacerbate these and myriads of other sex-related risks that young school-aged Nigerians are exposed to”, she warned.

The NFF, therefore called on the Minister of Education toretract his directive to expunge any sexual education content being used in schools in Nigeria.

They also asked the minister to ensure that mechanisms are in place across the country to protect the right to health and holistic well-being of every school-aged Nigerian and as well ensure that the sex education curricula in the country are in line with the International technical guidance on sex education.

The Forum further called on the Nigeria NERDC to ensure that public policies on sex education in the country are culturally relevant, accurate, incremental, age- and developmentally appropriate.

“Create accountability and evaluation mechanisms that allow for public engagement including young people, parents, teachers, gender equality experts and other relevant stakeholders in the process of delivery and assessment of sexuality education programmes in Nigerian schools”, she added.