Learner Receptiveness to Comprehensive Sexuality Education. Issue Brief 1

Factors contributing to HIV and AIDS vulnerability among young women in South Africa are vast and interconnected, necessitating multi-layered interventions. School-based interventions, including CSE, have the potential to alleviate these challenges. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has initiated Scripted Lesson Plans (SLPs) to assist educators in delivering CSE to learners. The SLP packages cover the intermediate phase (grades 4-6), senior phase (grades 7-9), and the Further Education and Training (FET) phase (grades 10-12). The SLPs include carefully designed lessons, activities, and assessment tasks aimed at facilitating learners' understanding of sexuality, sex, body development, behavior changes, and how to lead safe and healthy lifestyles. A study conducted by HEARD, University of KwaZulu-Natal, aimed to understand learner perceptions and attitudes towards CSE, in terms of content and pedagogy, in the Life Orientation (LO) class. The study involved a classroom survey of 255 adolescent girls in three schools in Mpumalanga, with a mean age of 15.7 years old. The survey focused on socio-demographics, experience of LO and attendance of LO classes using SLPs, attitudes towards SLPs, sexual behavior intentions, and gender norms. The study found that nearly half (48.2%) of adolescent girls stated that the material covered was relatable to their everyday life, while nearly a quarter (22.1%) suggested that the material bore no practical use to their everyday life. The vast majority (77.8%) of adolescent girls indicated that they learned a lot about sexuality and HIV-related topics during their CSE lessons. Just over two-thirds (57.8%) of adolescent girls surveyed indicated that they could apply the lessons they have learned during sexuality education in their lives. The study also found that the vast majority (87.1%) of adolescent girls indicated that their caregivers/parents thought it was a good idea that they were exposed to CSE in school. Approximately half (47.2%) of adolescent girls indicated that they were able to discuss HIV-related topics with their caregivers, while more girls (51.5%) indicated that they engaged with their caregivers about sexuality topics which had been discussed during CSE classes at school. The study's findings suggest that while adolescent girls largely approve of the content of CSE, they may not find it relatable to their everyday life due to the pedagogy employed by educators. The study recommends that the department should ensure that LO educators follow the guidelines on how to deliver sensitive content, with a specific focus on adolescent girls' experience of sexuality and HIV topics. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of congruence in the messaging between the school and the family environment with regards to sexual health to avoid confusion for adolescent girls.