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I have been inundated with messages on social media about the Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Ghana and the question that keeps going on in my mind is why the fuss?
Why the fuss about sex education? Some people say that the age four years that the curriculum seeks to educate children about their sexuality is too young. Others are alleging, it is a subtle way to introduce Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT)
My eyes pop wide open whenever anybody shares something on the Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Ghana, I mean, I get shocked at some of the opinions being expressed.
What is wrong about teaching children about sexuality? I am a mother of three children, my last daughter is only two years old and I have already started doing sex education in my home.
I told my son when he was only three years or I think less, that he has a penis, it is different from the vagina, what his sisters have, I also told him that his penis is his private part and he should report to me if anybody touches it.
I tell him to even report if his teacher touches it, is that sex education? A big yes, it is.
I feel shocked because some of the same people going wild about the Comprehensive Sexuality Education give their children access to the internet. In this internet age when our mobiles phones are connected to the internet what can’t a child learn on his or her own?
The 21st century children we are raising, perhaps know more about LGBT than we can ever imagine, why are people playing the ostrich?
The guidelines on the Comprehensive Sexuality Education say that the purpose of the programme is to help teachers and other stakeholders such as Community Based Organizations to provide appropriate training and support for young people to develop skills for self-development and decision making, sense of self –confidence, assertiveness, ability to take responsibility, ability to ask questions and seek help and empathy?
Is there anything wrong with training young Ghanaian children to develop such quality characteristics? Is the government bringing a new crop of teachers from overseas to teach this or it is the same old teachers we live with in our communities, who have suddenly gained knowledge to teach our children LGBT. We should trust that our teachers are going to weigh the information they give to these children on their sexuality?
Why is sex a taboo topic in Ghana, yet in this same Ghana, children as young as 10 years or even less engage in sex? Are we pretending that children in Ghana do not know about sex?
The preamble to the guidelines rightly puts it that “due to improved education, social media and general exposure and the changing context in which young people are developing, there is the need to provide accurate information on sexuality education in Ghana”
The guidelines when used properly would provide young people with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices in life, especially concerning their sexuality and reproductive health issues, let me add, how apt.
The objective of the proposed comprehensive sexuality education is to help young people develop skills such as critical thinking, communication and negotiation, self-development and decision making, sense of self, confidence, assertiveness, ability to take responsibility, ability to ask questions and seek help and empathy?
I am surprised that in an age when menstrual hygiene education is all over the place and people actually go to basic schools to distribute sanitary pads and talk about menstruation anybody will see sex education as evil.
If I had the perfect definition for the word hypocrisy, I would have used it. It appears too hypocritical that people will actually oppose sex education in schools.
So when can we ever trust the government to do something good for her people? Let me just end by stating clearly that I am a Christian and I believe in sex education in schools.
