Sex education is a broad term used to describe education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behavior.

Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, school programs, the media and public health campaigns.

In this very important topic in our day to day lives, we are discussing the process of learning and acquiring information regarding the understanding of our mutual relations, beliefs, identities and intimacy in molding positive attitudes and conduct in our society.

This has to be done comprehensively to make an impact on the perceptions and concepts of adolescents.

We are trying to create better understanding, with a view to develop young people’s skills and minds so that they make better choices in their mutual conducts and behaviors, to make informed decisions.

Young people have the right to be educated about the moral values of men-women private affairs, with a view to prevent the dangers of abusive conduct, exploitation, unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. It is therefore incumbent upon all of us as parents, teachers and child caregivers to enforce and strengthen education on man-woman mutual relations in our societies.

It is a necessity, particularly in schools, where we interact with teenagers, for six hours or more in a day, five days in a week, three complete weeks and some days in a month and ten to eleven months in a year. It helps to guarantee young people’s right to information about matters that affect them. 

In many circumstances, certain parents avoid or fail to discuss anything related to adulthood life with their children. They regard it as a taboo to discuss such issues with young ones.

Apparently, this had lead to so many unintended pregnancies, rapes, assaults, abortions, baby dumping and so many vices which are against social norms, values and laws. I could still vividly recalled while I was teaching in a lower basic school, I gave a one-week assignment to my female pupils in grade five concerning education on sexual relations, but the feedback was negative, prompting me to invite the health officer in the area to have weekly discussions with the entire school, every Friday and was agreed to by the schools administration.

The aim is to reduce the risks of potential negative outcomes emanating from our adulthood behaviors and to further improve on their experience, thereby enhancing quality in their relationship.

It would also enable the young people to communicate, listen, negotiate with others, ask for identified sources of help and advice which are applicable. This form of education in schools helps young people in decision making, assertion and to recognise pressures from other people and to resist them, in dealing with and challenging prejudice.

It would enable young people to differentiate between accurate and inaccurate information and to discuss a range of moral and social issues and perspectives on sex and sexuality including different cultural attitudes and sensitive issues like sexuality, abortion and contraception.  

One may ask: “when should sex education start”? It could be recalled that in 1998, there had been nationwide workshops for teachers at Lower Basic Schools conducted by the then Department of State for Education, on Population and Family Life Education. Lot of issues was discussed at the workshops. Educationists must break the ice both at home and at schools by serving as role models and mentors to both children and parents.

Significant improvements had been made by teachers but such forum was never created as far as I know to equip teachers with necessary skills to educate young one at tender ages and progressively prepare them for adulthood.

The fact of the matter is that sex education starts before children reach puberty and before they develop established patterns of behaviors. The precise age at which information should be provided depends on the physical, emotional and intellectual development of the young people as well as their level of understanding. What is covered and also how depends on who is providing the education, in what context and what the individual wants to know.

Young people need comprehensive education in this aspect to greatly boost the likelihood of teens to avoid having intercourse. The health and future of every adolescent is shadowed by risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS as well as by risk of involvement in unintended pregnancy.

It is our mandate as adults and learned scholars, to preach and propagate abstinence and all forms of irresponsible intimacy, which when strictly and consistently adhered to will address unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Any young person who intends to abstain from intercourse needs information about contraception to help them prevent unwanted pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STI’s when they become adults.

The education on female-male relationship is not effective among the youths as well as in our schools compared to years back when Lend a Hand and Peer Health Education in schools actively involved lot of young people to raise the awareness.

As schools are preparing for West African Senior Secondary Examination Certificate (WASSCE) and Gambia Basic Certificate Examination (GABECE), most of our school children stay in schools up to late in the night with the pretext of reading for the external exams. Most of the students use this period to deceive their parents and guardians taking studies with their peers as excuses, when they indulge in late night free calls to meet their male or female friends to engage in sexual activities.

Last year, several school girls had been impregnated through such false pretexts. We were made to understand that in a particular Upper Basic School; more than six pupils were reported to have been impregnated during night studies. Several cases were reported from different parts of the country which are enough alarm bells for parents, teachers, senior education officers and The Gambia government as well.  This is a great concern and serious concern for all and stringent measures need to be taken to avert similar unwanted or unplanned pregnancies of our school going teenage girls.

I would like to draw the attention of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and The Gambia Government to put effectively mechanisms in place in schools of all categories, through headmasters and principals to closely monitor the manner in which some children behave during the time of their studies within school campus. Gambia is a third world country and need to eschew its citizens from all sorts of menace detrimental to the progress and development young one who are the future leaders of our society. Let us not allow grass to grow under our feet, and let’s strike while the iron is hot.