Mechanisms of adopting and reformulating comprehensive sexuality education policy in Ethiopia

Abstract

Over the past few years, international organisations have advanced Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) as a global policy to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and address gender-based violence in schools. This paper analyses policy adoption, transfer mechanisms, and reformulation of CSE in Ethiopia, a late adopter of the policy. To do this, we identify education policy transfer mechanisms and apply a gender analysis by focusing on conceptualisations of gender relations in the uptake and reformulation of CSE policies. Drawing on document analysis and stakeholder interviews, the paper reveals that CSE in Ethiopia is largely a donor-driven agenda, advanced through dissemination and networking strategies. CSE is particularly embraced by the Ministry of Health, international organisations and NGOs in Ethiopia, but at the same time, the Ministry of Education and other critics continue to resist adoption, emphasising cultural differences. As a result, CSE in Ethiopia is (re) formulated and reflects narrow conceptualisations of how CSE can address gender-based violence, restricting its focus to health and development outcomes.

Globalization and its Impact on Higher Education: The Case of Colleges of Technology in Oman

“…'Standardization' refers to Western educational norms and standards that are disseminated throughout the globe, demonstrated, for instance, in the concept of 'a universal curriculum'. Finally, 'imposition' refers to the process by which donor agencies such as the World Bank force 'recipient countries' into adopting a specific policy (Le Mat, Altinyelken, Bos, and Volman, 2019;Tikly, 2001). The educational systems in several countries, Oman included, continue to largely follow the structure of the British colonial era (Troudi & Jendli, 2011).…”

Moulding the teacher: factors shaping teacher enactment of comprehensive sexuality education policy in Ethiopia

“…Scholars have argued that CSE is typically framed as a 'global' and culturally progressive policy by international organisations, while resistance to CSE is considered a result of 'local' and culturally traditional values (Roodsaz 2018). Such framing of the modern progressive versus the traditional conservative produces a binary that results in processes of 'Othering' and might obstruct identifying policy priorities that are contextually pertinent (Le Mat et al 2019;Miedema 2018;Miedema and Oduro 2017;Roodsaz 2018).…”

“…Both the Ministry of Health (MoH) and MoE of Ethiopia have signed the regional Ministerial Commitment on CSE and sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents and young people in Eastern and Southern African in South Africa in 2013, committing to provide CSE to all youth and adolescents. However, despite this commitment, the policy has been strongly resisted by some national actors who regard CSE as an imposition of Western values and state concerns as to the cultural 'appropriateness' of CSE (Le Mat et al 2019). Part of the controversy is also related to CSE being taught in mixed-sex classrooms, and the discussion of sexuality outside the context of marriage.…”

But is it Comprehensive? Unpacking the ‘comprehensive’ in comprehensive sexuality education

“…In so doing, we seek to offer what McCormack (2014) describes as an 'ethical engagement with epistemologies', calling attention to whose knowledge and experiences may be underrepresented (p. 11; see also Miedema and Oduro, 2016). Finally, greater clarity is essential to better understand how and why (elements of) a global policy framework like CSE may be resisted or reformulated by others (see Corrêa et al, 2008;Le Mat et al, 2019a;Voss, 2018).…”