LACK OF SEX EDUCATION AND ITS IMPACT ON SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT IN AGBARHA-OTOR COMMUNITY DELTA STATE
in EDUCATION FOUNDATION PROJECTS TOPICS, EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS on February 17, 2021CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study
Teaching sex education has been in existence from the creation of man when man continues to expand with children. The whole subject has been distorted by teachers, media, parents, Pastors, Imams and even friends have shirked their resistibility by not presenting the many side of the subject, the good, the lies told to exploit others. Increasing number of people across the ideological spectrum believe that our society is in deep moral trouble. The disheartening signs are everywhere. The breakdown of the family, the deterioration of civility in everyday life, rampant greed, omnipresent sexual activities at very early ages; the enormous betrayal of children through sexual abuse (Taku, 2009).
Sex education is the education that is given to individuals on sexuality behavior. It is the process of acquiring information, attitude and belief about sex. It is education for awareness especially our adolescents about sex related issues. Sex education does not encourage early initiation of intercourse but instead can delay first intercourse and lead to more consistent and understanding what the concept is all about. It is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sex identity relationship and intimacy. It involves developing young people’s skills so that they make informed choices about their behavior. It is widely accepted that young people have right to sex education, partly because it is a means by which they are helped to protect themselves against abuse, exploitation, unintended pregnancies and Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDs) and understand their body mechanism in general, (World Youth, 2000, in Nwahizu, 2006).
Sex and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) education that are based on a written curriculum and that implemented among group of students in schools setting are a promising type of intervention to reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors, transmission of various diseases among other things that place students at risk of infectious diseases. However, not all youths ever attend school and not all youth remain in school until they initiate sex. Thus, it is also important to reach youth who are out of school. Curriculum and group-based sex and HIV education programs can be introduced to the students to ensure completion and retention in schools. Throughout the world, they have been implemented in youth-serving agencies, housing projects, faith communities, community centers, juvenile detention centers and elsewhere.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The researcher observed that a lot of youths in Nigeria in most secondary school students especially in North Central zones of the country are victims of sexual molestation and other vices, some have dropped out due to unwanted pregnancies, stigma from Sexually Transmitted Diseases and infections (Kaduna State Ministry of Education Annual Report, 2010). These might be due to little or no awareness of integrated teaching of sex education in secondary schools in Kaduna State. Sex education is however integrated into other subject such as Civic Education, Health Science, Home Economic, Home Management and Biology. These have not adequately prevented students from unwanted pregnancies, dropping out of school and high rates of abortion. Precisely, the National Policy on Education (2004) has no provision for sex education in core, prevocational and non – vocational subjects on the requirements list for junior secondary school syllabus. The introduction of sex education in the schools would prevent social vices such as unwanted pregnancies, spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), students drop out of schools and prevalence of HIV/AIDS being on the increase because of lack of awareness. There has been a trend of daily media programmes which are loaded with sexual topics and images from where these teens learn things and want to experiment what they have watched without proper guidance. What is trending is that children turn on the television, read newspaper, or surf the internet to find sexual themed media. Often do not provide accurate information. This study therefore intends to investigate how integrated teaching of sex education in secondary schools in Kaduna state can redress these ills amongst secondary school students in the state.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the study
The main aim of the study was to assess lack of sex education and its impact on secondary school student in Agbarha-Otor community Delta State.
Specific objectives of the Study were to:
- Determine the level of secondary school students’ awareness of sex education in agbarha-otor community delta state.
- Ascertain the impact of sex education on the students’ opinion and peer group influence and their moral behaviour in secondary schools in agbarha-otor community delta state.
- Determine the impact of integrated teaching of sex education on the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) among secondary schools students in agbarha-otor community delta state.
1.4 Research Questions
This study sorts to provide answers to the following research questions.
- Are there any awareness on sex education towards secondary school students in Agbarha-Otor community Delta State?
- Are there impact of sex education on the students’ opinion and peer group influence in secondary schools in Agbarha-Otor community Delta State?
- Has the integrated teaching of sex education help in the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s)?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.
H0. There are awareness on sex education towards secondary school students in Agbarha-Otor community Delta State.
H1. There are impact of sex education on the students’ opinion and peer group influence in secondary schools in Agbarha-Otor community Delta State.
H2. The integrated teaching of sex education help in the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s).
1.6 Significance of the Study
The study will be of significant in the following ways: The findings of this thesis will be of significance to the following if published: teachers in secondary schools as well as primary and tertiary institutions, students, curriculum planners and the society. The teachers will teach the students sex education in schools without fear or favour to enhance young people’s knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about sex relationship and intimacy. It will help the teacher to stress the consequences of risky sexual behaviour such as unplanned pregnancies and (STD’s). It will also benefit the subject teacher to open channels of communication between students and their teachers concerning the meaning, importance and potential values of sex in human life, so that student will find it easier to seek information from liable sources rather than relying on hearsay or misconception. This will be mainly through workshops organized by the ministry of education in collaboration with other stakeholders in education of young girls and boys in the state
The society will be enlightened on healthy students‟ relationship that can lead to the right kind of enjoyment and give meaning to life and appreciate the significance of sexual difference in girls and boys and male – female sexual roles in our society, through organization of talks during symposia organized by Non-Governmental Organizations and other stakeholders. The students will be enlightened on the type of television prograrmmes and materials to watch. It will reduce the risks of potentially negative outcomes from sexual behaviour such as unwanted or unplanned pregnancies and infection with Sexually Transmitted Diseases including HIV and drop out of school. Students will be free and enlightened to answer questions on sex education asked; and also give parents/students opportunity to discuss related issues on sex education if they workshops and paper presentations are organized in secondary schools by school authorities and the Ministry of Education. It will also enable the curriculum planner to include sex education as a subject in their curricula for effective teaching and also include it in the course of study under the list of courses especially in Home Economics. The knowledge of sex education imparted through schools will go along way to reduce the rate of abortion, unwanted pregnancies, drop out of schools. STD’s and transmission of HIV diseases will be minimized if the findings of this study are published in journals, taken to the Ministry of Education at the Federal and State levels.
