Parents are anxious. They are afraid of not being able to give sex education to their children or of not doing it in the proper way. This fear was particularly visible at a conference held at the Ecole du Nord in Mapou last Friday with the psycho-sociologist, Mélanie Vigier de Latour, on this particular issue. But the problem seems to concern all parents since they are all faced with questions from their children sooner or later on sexuality. But parents are not the only ones who can and should answer these questions. School also has an important role in educating the child. And the ministry of Education seems to have finally picked up the message…

Specialists in the education sector and those dealing with issues affecting children have been ringing the alarm bell for quite a long time. The Ombudsperson for Children, Shirin Aumeeruddy-Cziffra, recently pointed at the importance of sex education at school and at home. The educationalists involved in the writing of the National Curriculum Framework published at the beginning of the year have also realised how increasingly important it is to introduce sex education at the primary level.

This is why “a component of sex education will be introduced in stage III with a view to creating an early awareness of life skills,” states the report. The ministry of Education is currently working in collaboration with the ministry of Health to set up the programme but no final date has been set for the implementation of sex education in Standards 5 and 6. The report on curriculum reform is in the hands of the ministry but the latter has not started the process for its implementation yet.

The reason for the introduction of sex education at primary level is nevertheless clear. One of the curriculum developers, S. Dhunnoo from the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), explains, “We decided to add sex education to the list of the new subjects in the light of the numerous cases of sexual abuse the country was facing as well as the degradation of moral values”.

The psycho-sociologist makes it clear that sex education is important at an early age in order for pupils “to better know and understand his or her own body and human anatomy in general” but she insists that it is also“the best way of protecting themselves from diseases and abuse”. The sooner they are made aware of their bodies and what they represent, the less likely they are to be victims of abuse.

<I>The ones who have to educate children are undeniably the parents but schools should act as a complement. All children might not feel comfortable addressing all questions to their parents and teachers might be there to make up for this lack.</I>

This is why sex education is provided increasingly earlier in countries where it is part of the school programme. Yet in Mauritius, there is no formal sex education in the curriculum at the moment at the primary or at the secondary level. “It depends on the willingness and interest of the different schools who may or may not choose to provide sex education to their pupils,” reveals an educationalist.

“Education à la Vie et à l’Amour”, under the aegis of the Catholic Diocese is among the institutions providing training in sex education to teachers (see inset). So is the “Ecole des Valeurs Humaines” of Brother Marcel Chapeleau who has been involved in this field for about 25 years.

It is a sign that the reaction of the authorities has come a bit late. But better late than never – if the ministry finally implements the curriculum, children will have a chance of being provided with sex education.

As for Mélanie Vigier de Latour, the ones who have to educate children are undeniably the parents but schools should act as a complement. All children might not feel comfortable addressing all their questions to their parents and teachers might be there to make up for this lack if necessary – and vice versa. “Sex education should start very early at school,” she insists.

“Children are already aware of their bodies at three years old and may start to ask some questions at about four,” says the socio-psychologist. “They often want to know how they were born and it is important that they get precise answers,” she adds. Of course, teachers must have special training to make sure their answers correspond to what children are ready to hear. “The explanation will of course not be the same at five years old and at fifteen years old,” says Roseline Casset. The most important is that teachers feel comfortable in tackling this type of questio with their pupils. But to all intents and purposes, sex education appears as a must at all levels.

<B>The objectives of sex education</B>

“Children will not listen to a moralising speech on the realities of sex. Similarly they will not be interested in an over-scientific and technical approach. The most important thing is to talk to them about relationships, love and the implications of sexual intercourse,” comments the Ombudsperson for Children. Indeed, the sex education programme should in no way be a course on human anatomy or basic technical aspects. Children need to be given the right information about their bodies, about relationships, the feelings involved and the consequences a sexual relationship will have for them. “We can talk about everything but it has to be adapted to the age of the pupils and to what extent they are ready,” says Mélanie Vigier de Latour. If the moral dimension has to be tackled, it is also important to know that 9 % of pregnancies concern girls between 15 and 19 years old, that abortion is becoming a method of contraception in many cases and that the prevalence of Aids continues to rise. Children must be given the tools to protect themselves.