‘Virginity is a Virtue: Prevent Early Sex’ – Teacher perceptions of sex education in a Ugandan secondary school

Abstract

Sex education is a politically contentious issue in many countries, and there are numerous, competing ideologies relating to the most appropriate methods to teach young people about sexual and reproductive health. This paper examines policy and practice in Uganda in light of two contrasting ideologies, namely morally conservative and comprehensive rights-based approaches to sex education. After a brief description of these approaches, findings from a preliminary qualitative study among teachers working in a non-governmental organisation-run secondary school in Uganda are discussed. Teachers' responses are analysed against the background of current Ugandan sex education policies. The paper considers the implications of the conservative morality informing both Ugandan government policy and teachers' implementation of sex education at the focus school. It is argued that, in the light of young Ugandans' attitudes towards and often varied experiences of sexuality, a comprehensive rights-based approach to sex education may be more appropriate in the described setting.

Rising School Enrollment and Declining HIV and Pregnancy Risk Among Adolescents in Rakai District, Uganda, 1994–2013

“…Our qualitative data suggest that being a student is incompatible with social transitions such as marriage, family formation and initiation of sexual behavior. While sex education is variable in Rakai schools, many schools support healthy adolescent transitions, risk reduction, and high aspirations via “talking compounds” using signage to promote pro-social messages at school (Iyer and Aggleton 2014, see photo).…”

Conceptualising the sociology of education: an analysis of contested intellectual trajectories

“…Others addressed particular historical developments, crises facing young people or policy conflicts. Examples of the subject matter of 'unclassified' papers include: the changing priorities of education publishing (Nixon, 1999); the changing role of the school trade union representative (Stevenson, 2005); teacher perceptions of sex education (Iyer and Aggleton, 2014); and children's experience in the face of industrial disasters (Preston, 2016). While all of these topics may have implications for inequalities, the explication of these inequalities is not the central focus.…”

Navigating Student Motherhood in a Precarious Urban Context: Perspectives from Higher Education in Uganda

“…Uganda’s sociopolitical context regulates young people’s sexuality rights, which are defined by a repertoire of policies rooted in religious and cultural values, as well as moral ethics that assume them to be asexual. (De Haas & Hutter, 2019; Iyer & Aggleton, 2014). Hence, young people who fall pregnant breach societal values and moral ethics.…”