tailieunhanh - THE NEED FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS IN EGYPT

The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) initiated reproductive health education in schools in 2003, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Egyp- tian Family Health Society. Initially, the project was called “The Reproductive Health Component for Support of Egyptian Girls.” The name later changed to the “Adolescents’ Health Program” at the request of the local communities. Originally a one-year initiative, it was extended until the end of 2012 due to its positive impact and community acceptance. The program is now run in cooperation with several governmental agencies and local NGOs, providing SRH education as an extracurricular. | Policy Brief PRB INFORM EMPOWER ADVANCE OCTOBER 2012 BY MAMDOUH WAHBA AND FARZANEH ROUDI-FAHIMI THE NEED FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS IN EGYPT Providing sexuality and reproductive health education in schools is cost-effective because the majority of adolescents are enrolled in school. 26. MILLION EGYPTIANS will reach age 15 during the next 15 years. Comprehensive sexuality education helps empower young people to protect their health and well-being as they grow and take on family responsibilities. One in five people in Egypt is between the ages of 15 and 24 a total of 16 million in 2012 according to the United Nations Population In the next 15 years 26 million more Egyptians will reach age 15. Preparing these young people for the transition to adulthood a time when sexuality and relationships are central is a challenge. Currently young Egyptians receive little accurate information about sexuality and protecting their health leaving them vulnerable to coercion abuse unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV. Sexuality and reproductive health SRH are among the most fundamental aspects of life. Yet they often receive little attention in public policy discussions because of cultural and political sensitivities. In Egypt traditional religious and family values designed to protect young people can restrict SRH education for youth. Egyptians commonly assume that young people do not need to know about SRH issues until they are married. This idea is rooted in traditional values and long-standing taboos surrounding sexuality that need to be examined in light of protecting health. Providing SRH education in schools is a costeffective way of reaching young people because the majority of adolescents are enrolled in school. This policy brief describes the current state of SRH education in schools in Egypt and presents the rationale and recommendations for improvements. It highlights portions of UNESCO s guidelines related to