Condoms at primary schools: yes or no?

Published May 12, 2015

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Cape Town - The Department of Basic Education has appealed to the public to comment on its proposals to tackle increasing levels of HIV and TB infection in schools, as well as pregnancies among pupils.

One of the proposals is to hand out condoms to primary school children.

The Western Cape Department of Education has seen a 14.3 percent increase in the number of pregnant girls.

At the end of last year there were 2 581 school girls pregnant in the Western Cape and of those 78 were in primary school and five of the girls in Grade 5.

Minister Angie Motshekga drafted the national policy on HIV, STIs and TB in light of growing numbers of pupils who are orphaned and made vulnerable by the direct and indirect effects of the illnesses.

One of the proposals in the draft, which has raised the ire of some school groups, states: “Access to male and female condoms (barrier methods of contraception and sexually transmitted disease control) and information on their use will be made available to all pupils in the Basic Education sector, as well as all teachers, school support staff and officials.”

Input on the age at which pupils would receive condoms would come from the public, department spokesman Elijah Mhlanga said.

“HIV and TB were chronic diseases that have reached epidemic proportions in South Africa. We want the public to help us by advising whether we should make the condoms available to pupils in primary schools,” Mhlanga said.

“In addition to eroding the Basic Education sector’s capacity, how HIV and TB affect whole communities (within which schools and educational institutions function) also needs to be taken into account.

“The draft policy articulates the department’s approach and intention in responding to HIV, STIs and TB, including the provision of sexual and reproductive health services within the sector,” Mhlanga said.

The policy is organised around six themes: prevention, treatment (which includes care and support), impact mitigation, workplace issues, enabling environment and management.

Patrick Solomons, director of the children’s rights organisation Molo Songololo, said many pupils were not taught about sex and sexuality at home. For a lot of them, the only sex education they received was at school.

Progressive Principals Association chairman Riyaadh Najaar rejected the department’s proposal to include sex education and the handing out of condoms to pupils in primary schools.

“We need to teach pupils to abstain. If we talk about sex at an age that is too young or hand out condoms when they are in primary school, ultimately we are telling our children that it is okay to be sexually active at a young age,” Najaar said.

The gazette and draft policy is available on the department’s website at www.education.gov.za

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Cape Times

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