TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION ON SEX EDUCATION FOR 5 - 8 YEARS OLD CHILDREN OF URBAN DHAKA

Education

A proper sex education fosters good values to the children. It leads to better acceptance of who they are. It eliminates the children’s curiosity about their own bodies. It teaches young children how to protect themselves from abuse. Therefore, sex education is necessary. In Bangladesh, sex education is not in the curriculum as a separate subject. The pre-primary curriculum covers a few topics such as, gender and how to protect oneself from abuse and it also exists in the teachers’ guide of the primary. However, the awareness of teachers of the importance of sex education and their skill to impart it to students is questionable. This study was conducted to find out teachers’ perception on sex education of children aged between 5 and 8 years of Urban Dhaka. The study used qualitative method, where two FGDs with 11 teachers and two in-depth interviews were taken. The findings of the study identified the gaps in the teachers’ understanding of sex education. Teachers’ perception of sex education and its content varies with socio economic background of the students they teach. The teachers understand the need and benefit of sex education for children aged 5-8 years. They are willing to teach sex education in classes but they require institutional support to do so. Social and parental consent required to provide sex education pose the biggest challenge in incorporating sex education comprehensively in the curriculum. A curriculum that tailors fit students from all socio-economic background needs to be designed. Support from School Management and the Government is needed to train teachers and arrange workshops for parents. A monitoring body is needed to evaluate and monitor sex education once it is incorporated comprehensively in the curriculum.

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