Sexuality Education Enhancement Network

Sexuality Education (SE) in Uganda is taken to be a lifelong process of teaching, imparting, acquiring and learning age appropriate and culturally and religiously acceptable information and forming attitudes, beliefs, and values about cognitive, emotional, social, interactive and physical aspects of sexuality.

Sexuality education has been a controversial issue in Uganda over the past years. In 2016, Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social development banned comprehensive sexuality education in schools. The ministry’s ban came after the discovery of sexual reproductive health books in more than 100 schools that included “sexual orientation and a non-negative portrayal of masturbation.”

The ban was buttressed by Parliament with legislators unanimously passing a resolution to ban comprehensive sexuality education. Legislators called upon the president to come out and speak against sexuality education.

There has been a fierce debate between proponents of sexual education in schools and those against it, as well as arguments and counter arguments on the definition of appropriate sexual education.

Twende Kazi recognizes that sexuality education is community responsibility that should attract support of families’ heads, schools, traditional and religious leaders as well as government support but we are keen to know who spends much time with our children and that is where we want to begin from. The fact that most working parents and guardians have little time to spend and associate with their children, this has left children with no option but to spend that time at schools where teachers are now doubling both as teachers and parents/guardians. Its therefore these teachers mainly (Senior Woman and Senior Male) who spend much time with our children that we are now identifying and working with to deepen the understanding of sexuality education in Primary Schools.

Through sexuality education enhancement network, both senior woman and senior man teachers from each school are invited at their respective districts for a one day training on the right information they are supposed to pass on to the learners. Thereafter the training, follow-ups are made to schools by our school safety awareness officers to assess their performances, challenges encountered during the implementation process and how they can be collectively handled.