Background: Adolescents display sexual behaviours and developmental characteristics that place them at risk for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Because young people experiment sexually and because of the consequences of indiscriminate sexual activities on the youth, there is the need to mount sex education programmes that are geared towards enlightenment and appropriate education about sex and sexuality. Objective: To determine whether Sex Education Intervention Programme would reduce at-risk sexual behaviours of school-going adolescents. Design: Pre-test, post-test control group quasi-experimental design Setting: A randomly selected coeducational school in Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria Participants: 24 school-going adolescents aged 13-19 years Intervention: Sex Education Programme (treatment group) versus Control programme (placebo) Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, multiple sex partners, anal sex, oral sex, non use of condom. Result: When the treatment (intervention) group was compared with the control group in an intention to treat analysis, there were significant differences in at-risk sexual behaviours of the two groups. Those in the intervention group reported less at-risk sexual behaviours than their counterparts in the control group. The treatment group evaluated the intervention programme positively and their knowledge of sexual health improved. Lack of behavioural effect on the control group could be linked to differential quality of delivery of intervention. Conclusion: Compared with the control group, this specially designed intervention sex education programme reduced at-risk sexual behaviour in adolescents. Based on this finding, it was recommended that sex education be introduced into the curriculum of secondary school education in Nigeria.

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This study investigated HIV/AIDS awareness of in-school adolescents in Nigeria to determine their risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. A total of 892 purposively selected adolescents (mean age = 16. 5 years; SD = 5. 2; males = 492; females = 400) participated in the study. The participants responded to the HIV/AIDS Awareness Inventory (HAAI). The questions on the survey included the following aspects: meaning of HIV/AIDS; prevalence; mode of transmission; consequences and prevention. Differences in gender, age, school location and fatherʼs educational background in understanding HIV risk were examined. A group means comparison procedure revealed a significant difference in HIV awareness by gender, age, school location and fatherʼs educational background. Female adolescents, the older adolescents, those living in urban centres and those whose fathers are literate had higher HIV/AIDS awareness than their counterparts from rural areas. Nigerian adolescents need education regarding HIV/AIDS awareness.

The researchers conducted this study in order to establish a case for the use of needs assessment of guidance services as a means of achieving quality education in Nigeria. They contacted 84 professional counsellors in Ilorin, a typical Nigerian metropolis, in order to gather data on their perception of the importance of certain guidance services in secondary schools. They also determined the actual level of services rendered in schools. The instrument used for collecting the necessary data was titled "Guidance Service Rendered to Students Questionnaire" GUSRESQ. The findings indicated a need to use needs assessment of guidance services for obtaining higher levels in the quality of education. The findings also indicated that practicing counsellors perceive counselling service and information service as the most important.

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