Education as Vaccine (EVA) has condemned the directive by Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, to the National Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) to remove sex education from the school curriculum.

The Executive Director of EVA, Toyin Chukwudozie, in a statement, disagreed with the directive.

Adamu had given the directive to expunge sex education from the curriculum at the 66th Ministerial Session of the National Council on Education.

The reason for his directive was that sex education should be left in the hands of parents and religious institutions and not be taught in schools in a manner that would further corrupt little children who have access to smartphones and technologies.

But the EVA director, Chukwudozie, argued that the curriculum provided support and guidance for adolescents and young people.

According to her, the Family Life and HIV Education (FLHE) curriculum is a planned process of education that fosters the acquisition of factual information, the formation of positive attitudes, beliefs and values, and the development of skills.

She said this would help students cope with the biological, psychological, sociocultural and spiritual aspects of human living and that the curriculum aimed to provide information and skills necessary for young people to make rational decisions about their bodies.

EVA noted that the curriculum was not against any religious or cultural groups or teachings in the country.

Education experts argue that access to age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education would promote positive attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health among children.

Photo source: UNICEF