Religious leaders told to accept Sex Education in schools to Curb Teenage Pregnancies

By Moses Agaba

Authorities in Rubanda District have called for increased and comprehensive sex education among teenagers in schools to avert the worrying trend of adolescent pregnancies.

Melkizedeki Asiimwe, The Rubanda District Inspector of Schools, says that  no school in the district is carrying out sex education, adding that they are carrying out sensitization campaigns to ensure that teachers create time to talk to learners about sex, since it is critical to empower young people to be the drivers of their own reproductive needs.

“All the schools we have in Rubanda district, we don’t have a single school with an activity or lesson on sex education because they are exam oriented. They do not have time to join the campaign because they are competing academically only. So they look at talking about sex education as a waste of time”  said Asiimwe.

He asked LOSCO to continue with the sensitization in schools to ensure that school authorities know the importance of sex education on the learner’s decisions.

Asiimwe said “most of our schools with senior men and senior women do not know their roles and when they decide to talk to learners in Primary six and seven. These teachers also don’t have the syllabus of sex education and some of the schools do not have senior women. Out of 110 schools, 10 do not have”.

SP Abel Barugahare The Rubanda District Police Commander, said “we should tell religious heads such as the priests and sheikhs that there is no evil in telling your 12 years child to abstain and if she cannot use protection. Whether you don’t want to talk about it, these are children, adolescents, when they grow up, they will explore. We should be honest with our children as leaders and as parents, as church leaders and you tell them the truth”.

They made the call on Friday while speaking during an advocacy meeting to address the social- cultural and others barriers in the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights held at Volcano Hotel in Rubanda town Council, western Uganda organized by Local Sustainable Communities Organization (LOSCO), a non-governmental Human rights Organization.

Godfrey Bampabwire the In-charge of Muko Health Center IV says that 19 percent of pregnant women who visit different health facilities in the district are teenagers below the age of 19.

Bampabwire,  says that  Kagarama Health Centre 11, Mpungu Health Centre 11 and Kacerere Health Centre 11, where each facility registered more than 30 percent of pregnant teenagers out of the total number of women who visited the facilities last year to attend antenatal care.

“The biggest barrier that we have is access to information, these girls are in primary and secondary schools but do we have school health programs? Most of our facilities maybe do not embrace health programs, because access to information for these young girls should be in their schools”,  Bampabwire said

He also said “there is a barrier to access to logistics especially family planning logistics; we tend to wait for these teenagers to find us in health facilities, but you discover even when they come, they shy away, much as we are aware of the youth friendly corners, we have a challenge with the infrastructure and our adolescents miss out”.

Vincent Rwabusende The Rubanda District Coordinator of People living with HIV, , said besides adopting sexuality education in schools to fight teenage pregnancies and their other immoral behaviors, parents should also do their roles of nurturing their children.

Amos Tugumisirize, The Director of Kabale District orphans and vulnerable children living with HIV/AIDS (KADOLHA), said limited access to information by the youth has led to increased teenage pregnancies in the district.

“Besides adopting sexuality education in schools, the government should invest in the formation of Youth Friendly Corners in schools and health facilities where they can be told of the different dangers of early sex” he added.

Elly Mucunguzi, The Rubanda District Principal Assistant Secretary, said that sex education is significant in addressing the challenges of modern-day parenting, particularly, children’s susceptibility to sexual abuse. He said that many children have fallen victim to sexual abuse in their early years of life because they were not empowered to fight such evils.

Albert Taremwa, The Executive Director of Local Sustainable Communities Organization-LOSCO, said “ an assessment report on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Kigezi region in major health facilities, the total number of abortions managed 410, 42 health induced abortions, 231 induced abortions outside health facilities” and called for concentrated efforts to fight the vices.