[:en]By Taban Robert Aggrey
National Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) has been preparing for the integration of comprehensive sexuality education in the school curriculum. This will be aimed at strengthening HIV prevention and fostering positive health outcomes in South Sudan under the theme: Young people today, time to act now.
Over 60 stakeholders gathered at Millennium Hotel in Juba for a three-day workshop to discuss the strategies of integrating sexuality education into schools.
In his opening remarks, the Director General for Quality promotion and Innovation, Omot Okony Olok, said issues of human anatomy, growth and relationships are surrounded by utmost silence and secrecy.
“This is because of the mystery, myths and norms imposed by society. As a result, many children as they grow become curious and inquisitive,” Olok said.
He said many children get lost in adolescence when answers to their many questions are either not given, not satisfactory or seem not very true and they seek answers from the peers.
“These answers given by peers are compounded with mischief, misconceptions, myths and some are experiment-oriented, putting children at risk for various forms of infections, early pregnancies, stress, and other health and psychological disorders,” he said.
He said sexuality encompasses knowing and appreciating oneself as God’s creation, feeing attracted to the opposite sex, desiring to love and be loved, understanding human growth and development, management of our bodies and behavior change.
Olok said in African Societies, sexuality issues were passed on to the youths by older members of the community on issues of growing up, relationships and how they should conduct themselves.
“Today’s family set up and lifestyle does not allow for such education anymore, children are left on their own, in darkness to discover themselves and wade through the mysteries in life,” said Olok.
He said people need to break this silence by engaging the children by giving facts about growth process and what they are likely to encounter in life while equipping them with appropriate knowledge, skills and positive attitude to face related challenges.
“This helps the children make informed decisions in life, such information can be passed well through quality education curriculum by integrating sexuality messages in to other subjects and infusing into teaching and learning process,” he continued.
Deputy Director for HIV/AIDS/STIs in the directorate of preventive Health services, Ministry of Health, Dr Emmanuel Oryem Lino, said his ministry would, jointly with other partners in promoting good health and well being of individuals and communities.
“We need to prevent early and unintended pregnancy, the transmission of HIV and other STIs,” said Lino. “[We need to] facilitate access to care particularly for adolescents and young people.”
[:pt]By Taban Robert Aggrey
O Ministério Nacional da Educação, Ciências e Tecnologia (MDEST) esteve a preparar-se para a integração da ESE no curriculo escolar. Isto tera como objetivo reforçar a prevenção de VIH e promover resultados de saúde positivos no Sudão do Sul com o tema: Jovens hoje, a altura de de agir é agora. “Mais de 60 partes interessadas juntaram-se no Millennium Hotel em Juba, Sudão do Sul, para um workshop de três dias para discutir as estratégias de integração da ESC nas escolas ” Nos seus comentários de abertura, o Diretor Geral para a Inovação e promoção da Qualidade, Omot Okony Olok, disse que problemas de anatomia humana, crescimento e relacionamentos estão rodeados do maior silencio e segredo.
“Isto por causa do mistério, dos mitos e normas impostas pela sociedade. Como resultado, muitas crianças ao crescerem tornam-se curiosas e inquisitivas”, disse Olok.
Também disse que muitas crianças perdem-se na adolescência quando as respostas para as suas perguntas não lhes são dadas, não são satisfatórias ou parecem não ser verdade e vão àprocura de respostas dos seus amigos.
“””Estas respostas dadas pelos seus amigos são misturadas com maldade, ideias erradas, mitos e algumas são guiadas pela expêriencia, pondo as crianças em risco de várias formas de infeção, gravidezes precoces, stress, e outras desordens psicológicas””, disse. ” Disse que a sexualidade abrange o conhecimento e a apreciação da própria pessoa como criação de Deus, sentindo-se atraída pelo sexo oposto, desejando amor e de ser amada, compreendendo o crescimento e desenvolvimento humano, o controlo do nosso corpo e a mudança de comportamento.
O Sr. Olok disse que nas sociedades Africanas, os problemas da sexualidade sobre problemas de crescimento, relacionamentos e como devem se comportar eram passados para os jovens por membros mais velhos da comunidade.
“A estrutura e o modo de vida das famílias de hoje não mais permite uma educação assim, as crianças são deixadas sozinhas na escuridão para se descobrirem a si próprias e patinham nos mistérios da vida” disse Olok.
Disse que as pessoas precisam de romper este silêncio com a participação das crianças e dando os factos sobre o processo de crescimento e aquilo que poderão encontrar na vida, ao mesmo tempo equipando-os com conhecimentos adequados, competências e atitudes positivas para enfrentar os desafios relacionados com o crescimento.
“Isto ajuda as crianças a fazer escolhas informadas na vida, tal informação pode ser bem passada através do currículo de educação de qualidade integrando as mensagens de sexualidade noutras disciplinas e transmitindo-as no processo de ensino e de aprendizagem”, continuou.
O Vice Diretor para o VIH/SIDA/DST na diretoria dos Serviços de Saúde preventivos, o Ministro da Saúde, o Dr. Emmanuel Oryem Lino, disse que o seu ministério iria, conjuntamente com outros parceiros promover a boa saúde e bem estar de indivíduos e comunidades.
“Precisamos prevenir a gravidez precoce e não intencionada, a transmissão de VIH e outras DST”, disse Lino. “[Precisamos facilitar o acesso aos cuidados de adolescentes e pessoas jovens em particular”.
[:fr]By Taban Robert Aggrey
National Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) has been preparing for the integration of comprehensive sexuality education in the school curriculum. This will be aimed at strengthening HIV prevention and fostering positive health outcomes in South Sudan under the theme: Young people today, time to act now.
Over 60 stakeholders gathered at Millennium Hotel in Juba for a three-day workshop to discuss the strategies of integrating sexuality education into schools.
In his opening remarks, the Director General for Quality promotion and Innovation, Omot Okony Olok, said issues of human anatomy, growth and relationships are surrounded by utmost silence and secrecy.
“This is because of the mystery, myths and norms imposed by society. As a result, many children as they grow become curious and inquisitive,” Olok said.
He said many children get lost in adolescence when answers to their many questions are either not given, not satisfactory or seem not very true and they seek answers from the peers.
“These answers given by peers are compounded with mischief, misconceptions, myths and some are experiment-oriented, putting children at risk for various forms of infections, early pregnancies, stress, and other health and psychological disorders,” he said.
He said sexuality encompasses knowing and appreciating oneself as God’s creation, feeing attracted to the opposite sex, desiring to love and be loved, understanding human growth and development, management of our bodies and behavior change.
Olok said in African Societies, sexuality issues were passed on to the youths by older members of the community on issues of growing up, relationships and how they should conduct themselves.
“Today’s family set up and lifestyle does not allow for such education anymore, children are left on their own, in darkness to discover themselves and wade through the mysteries in life,” said Olok.
He said people need to break this silence by engaging the children by giving facts about growth process and what they are likely to encounter in life while equipping them with appropriate knowledge, skills and positive attitude to face related challenges.
“This helps the children make informed decisions in life, such information can be passed well through quality education curriculum by integrating sexuality messages in to other subjects and infusing into teaching and learning process,” he continued.
Deputy Director for HIV/AIDS/STIs in the directorate of preventive Health services, Ministry of Health, Dr Emmanuel Oryem Lino, said his ministry would, jointly with other partners in promoting good health and well being of individuals and communities.
“We need to prevent early and unintended pregnancy, the transmission of HIV and other STIs,” said Lino. “[We need to] facilitate access to care particularly for adolescents and young people.”
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