Written by: Niharika Chapagain - 25006, Grade X
Posted on: 15 November, 2022
Sex, sexual or sexuality education is teaching about body development, sexuality, reproduction, sexual intercourse, and sexual health of an individual. The sex education curriculum in Nepal starts from grade 6 however in an extremely vague manner. The course taught in grade 6 is supposed to be vivid with strong points about sex education however from the beginning its concept gets shortened and shallow. This has resulted in creating different misconceptions and myths about sex education in Nepal. Our society has also played a great role in this part. It has portrayed sex education in such a narrow way that from generation to generation we have learned that it is not a topic to be openly discussed.
Providing sex education in Nepal is extremely difficult as it is directly associated with teachers’ or students’ embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and teaching skills. And there is no doubt that due to access to the internet, teenagers are often misguided about it. Although teenagers have more knowledge about sex education through the internet rather than the school and their parents. It is better to know about such concepts through professionals in schools rather than on the internet which can affect teenagers' point of view about sex education in a negative way as not everything on the internet is valid.
In an Asian country like Nepal, although in Comprehensive Sexuality Curriculum (a curriculum based on teaching and learning about physical, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality), concepts about menstruation, sexual intercourse, and contraception are taught, it doesn’t cover all the things sex education actually talks about. Since in Nepal, teenagers are not guided and taught about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, intersex, and even asexual people, teenagers have grown to dislike people with different gender identities. These things also fall under sex education and it is important to make people understand because many LGBTQ+ people suffer through bullies due to improper education and lack of awareness. These terms are added in the new and revised curriculum of HPE in grade 7 however not in sufficient amounts. Though homosexuality was legalized in Nepal a long time ago, it is still not accepted by society at all.
To improve the sex education curriculum in Nepal, I suggest age-appropriate sex education be provided to the children. Yes, sex education is to be taught to the students, however, there are limitations that need to be considered according to the age of the child. For example: from grades 1 - 3 students must be taught about safe and unsafe touch as the concept of good touch and bad touch is outdated. The young might suffer through harassment at a young age. Also, students from grades 6 to 8 must be taught about positive body image and the influence of the media on them. Teenagers especially from age 12 - 18 face insecurities about their bodies due to the impact of the media and even harm themselves. Making them feel positive about their body, also falls under sex education. And, students from grades 9 - 12 must be taught where to go to access health services regarding sexually transmitted diseases because although the students are taught about the causes, effects, and treatment methods regarding different STDS, they are not aware of where to go for checkups. They should also be taught about gender respect, consent, sexual orientation, gender identity, contraception, puberty, and relationships. In addition, clear information about serious topics like marital rape, sexual assault, harassment, etc must be provided to the children after they are mature enough to understand.
Sex, sexual or sexuality education is teaching about body development, sexuality, reproduction, sexual intercourse, and sexual health of an individual. The sex education curriculum in Nepal starts from grade 6 however in an extremely vague manner. The course taught in grade 6 is supposed to be vivid with strong points about sex education however from the beginning its concept gets shortened and shallow. This has resulted in creating different misconceptions and myths about sex education in Nepal. Our society has also played a great role in this part. It has portrayed sex education in such a narrow way that from generation to generation we have learned that it is not a topic to be openly discussed.
Providing sex education in Nepal is extremely difficult as it is directly associated with teachers’ or students’ embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and teaching skills. And there is no doubt that due to access to the internet, teenagers are often misguided about it. Although teenagers have more knowledge about sex education through the internet rather than the school and their parents. It is better to know about such concepts through professionals in schools rather than on the internet which can affect teenagers' point of view about sex education in a negative way as not everything on the internet is valid.
In an Asian country like Nepal, although in Comprehensive Sexuality Curriculum (a curriculum based on teaching and learning about physical, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality), concepts about menstruation, sexual intercourse, and contraception are taught, it doesn’t cover all the things sex education actually talks about. Since in Nepal, teenagers are not guided and taught about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, intersex, and even asexual people, teenagers have grown to dislike people with different gender identities. These things also fall under sex education and it is important to make people understand because many LGBTQ+ people suffer through bullies due to improper education and lack of awareness. These terms are added in the new and revised curriculum of HPE in grade 7 however not in sufficient amounts. Though homosexuality was legalized in Nepal a long time ago, it is still not accepted by society at all.
To improve the sex education curriculum in Nepal, I suggest age-appropriate sex education be provided to the children. Yes, sex education is to be taught to the students, however, there are limitations that need to be considered according to the age of the child. For example: from grades 1 - 3 students must be taught about safe and unsafe touch as the concept of good touch and bad touch is outdated. The young might suffer through harassment at a young age. Also, students from grades 6 to 8 must be taught about positive body image and the influence of the media on them. Teenagers especially from age 12 - 18 face insecurities about their bodies due to the impact of the media and even harm themselves. Making them feel positive about their body, also falls under sex education. And, students from grades 9 - 12 must be taught where to go to access health services regarding sexually transmitted diseases because although the students are taught about the causes, effects, and treatment methods regarding different STDS, they are not aware of where to go for checkups. They should also be taught about gender respect, consent, sexual orientation, gender identity, contraception, puberty, and relationships. In addition, clear information about serious topics like marital rape, sexual assault, harassment, etc must be provided to the children after they are mature enough to understand.
Sex, sexual or sexuality education is teaching about body development, sexuality, reproduction, sexual intercourse, and sexual health of an individual. The sex education curriculum in Nepal starts from grade 6 however in an extremely vague manner. The course taught in grade 6 is supposed to be vivid with strong points about sex education however from the beginning its concept gets shortened and shallow. This has resulted in creating different misconceptions and myths about sex education in Nepal. Our society has also played a great role in this part. It has portrayed sex education in such a narrow way that from generation to generation we have learned that it is not a topic to be openly discussed.
Providing sex education in Nepal is extremely difficult as it is directly associated with teachers’ or students’ embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and teaching skills. And there is no doubt that due to access to the internet, teenagers are often misguided about it. Although teenagers have more knowledge about sex education through the internet rather than the school and their parents. It is better to know about such concepts through professionals in schools rather than on the internet which can affect teenagers' point of view about sex education in a negative way as not everything on the internet is valid.
In an Asian country like Nepal, although in Comprehensive Sexuality Curriculum (a curriculum based on teaching and learning about physical, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality), concepts about menstruation, sexual intercourse, and contraception are taught, it doesn’t cover all the things sex education actually talks about. Since in Nepal, teenagers are not guided and taught about gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, intersex, and even asexual people, teenagers have grown to dislike people with different gender identities. These things also fall under sex education and it is important to make people understand because many LGBTQ+ people suffer through bullies due to improper education and lack of awareness. These terms are added in the new and revised curriculum of HPE in grade 7 however not in sufficient amounts. Though homosexuality was legalized in Nepal a long time ago, it is still not accepted by society at all.
To improve the sex education curriculum in Nepal, I suggest age-appropriate sex education be provided to the children. Yes, sex education is to be taught to the students, however, there are limitations that need to be considered according to the age of the child. For example: from grades 1 - 3 students must be taught about safe and unsafe touch as the concept of good touch and bad touch is outdated. The young might suffer through harassment at a young age. Also, students from grades 6 to 8 must be taught about positive body image and the influence of the media on them. Teenagers especially from age 12 - 18 face insecurities about their bodies due to the impact of the media and even harm themselves. Making them feel positive about their body, also falls under sex education. And, students from grades 9 - 12 must be taught where to go to access health services regarding sexually transmitted diseases because although the students are taught about the causes, effects, and treatment methods regarding different STDS, they are not aware of where to go for checkups. They should also be taught about gender respect, consent, sexual orientation, gender identity, contraception, puberty, and relationships. In addition, clear information about serious topics like marital rape, sexual assault, harassment, etc must be provided to the children after they are mature enough to understand.
