Our country recently began programs teaching children sex education. We have been lacking such education because today’s parents often fear to teach their children, or even talk to them, about sex.

I really think it is important for schools in Rwanda, starting from primary level up to secondary level, to have such teachings in schools and to encourage parents to always talk to their children in order to prevent early marriages and unwanted pregnancies.

Sex education programmes could impact the problem of the growing number of young people becoming infected with HIV today.

If we don’t educate our youth on sexual matters, how can they prepare for when they are confronted with these issues?It’s found that sex education does a good job of covering basic information about reproduction and pregnancy.

But skill-based instruction – such as how to deal with the pressures and emotional consequences of sexual activity, how to talk to partners or parents about sexual health issues and where to get medical help – is not taught as frequently or consistently.

It may be right that parents should be the one to educate them on these matters, but not all parents are ready for this. Some don’t even know about sexual health themselves.

As Mutesi, a mother of three children says, "I am not ready to teach my children about sex. We grew up not knowing these things and nothing happened to us. I find it less important for me to teach my children about sex.”

Most parents want teachers to teach their children more about sex. Children, however, would understand it more if it were taught by their parents.

I think it’s better if both parents and teachers in school work hand in hand to educate the young generation on sexual matters. I don’t see any negative effects from sex education.

It is just like other lessons. The more we learn, the more we understand ourselves and the things around us.
Parents often feel extremely uncomfortable talking with their kids about sex.

There are honestly some kids who learn everything from sex education, including how to prevent pregnancy and STDs. These things are vitally important for teenagers to know. Even if there are kids who know about this stuff, isn’t it worth it to teach sex education for those who don’t?

I believe so; after all, your ultimate goal is to help young people become well-rounded, informed human beings. While it probably won’t be a factor in their future occupations, sex education will certainly be an invaluable resource down the road as they become partners and parents.

Adolescents need balanced sex education that includes information on both contraception and abstinence. Abstinence-only programs are clearly releasing misinformation as a scare tactic.

But is fear a safe method for preventing unwanted pregnancies and STDs?

Teens who receive an abstinence-only education will not know what the symptoms are of sexually transmitted diseases, where to get counselling and treatment, and how to protect themselves if they do have sex.

If children are made to learn about their reproductive body parts in biology, the government should also take measures to teach them about sex. Imparting sex education to children is the need of the hour considering the high percentage of AIDS cases in Africa.

We have to teach children how to both understand their sexuality and responsibly manage their desires. After all, it’s a vital need of the body. It is extremely important to combat ignorance and misconceptions about sex.

Sex education is a broad subject inclusive of preparation for life, living with a partner, for health and hygiene including biological truths like menstrual cycles, contraceptive practices, and HIV/AIDS protection.

This finding may be contrary to what we think, or prefer to blindly believe. Here, the emphasis on sex education is on the attitude you have towards biological sex. Sex is a physical construct and sexuality is shaped by the society.

We have to deal with the social construct.  The purpose of education is to fill young minds with knowledge, but it is also to act as a compass for that knowledge. We might fill their minds with knowledge, but as a compass we seem to have become stuck!

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